Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will have their task cut out as replacing a player like Ben Stokes won’t be easy for the franchise. Ben Stokes once again has prioritized Test cricket which was quite expected. The 5 Test match series between India & England is scheduled in January- March 2024 and would be quite important ahead of the ICC WTC 2023-25 cycle.
Ben Stokes is quite injury prone and his recent form in ODI WC 2023 wasn’t that convincing. He wasn’t able to bowl as well in the marquee tournament which hurt the team a lot in their forgettable campaign. England would be aware of India’s dominance in the Test arena after beating the mighty Aussies by 2-1 in BGT 2023.
All eyes though will be on MS Dhoni as there is uncertainty regarding the participation of the legendary skipper. If MS Dhoni bids adieu to the sport then it will be interesting to see who will lead the side in their title defense. CSK had won a thriller against Gujarat Titans (GT), we all witnessed how Ravindra Jadeja won the high voltage contest by smashing 10 runs in the last 2 balls.
Ben Stokes has said that he won’t play in IPL- Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra was seen speaking on his You Tube channel. Aakash Chopra said that in the most likelihood, Ben Stokes wasn’t going to retain Ben Stokes for a whooping 16.25 Crores. Aakash Chopra pointed out that Stokes’ decision to not play IPL may be a right one and said that all of a sudden 16.25 crore rupees are suddenly freed there.
“Ben Stokes has said that he won’t play in the IPL. Were Chennai going to retain him? That’s a big question. In my opinion, they weren’t going to do so. Would any other team have bought him for 16.25 crores? My two cents – it was not going to happen,” said Aakash Chopra.
“So he did the right thing. I don’t know if it’s strategic or anything. Why should we comment on it? The truth is that 16.25 crore rupees are suddenly freed there. Ambati Rayudu has retired. So you have 20 crore rupees and you will get five crores in any case when the purse is increased,” he added.