He plans to undergo knee surgery and aims for a complete recovery before England’s extensive Test series in India. Stokes’s contribution to CSK was minimal in their victorious 2023 season, limited to two matches with a modest performance.

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has speculated that CSK would have likely not retained Stokes even if he had been available for the IPL 2024, considering his injury concerns. Chopra also doubted any other franchise’s willingness to invest ₹16.25 crores in Stokes, given his recent fitness issues.

“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,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

Stokes’s absence, along with Ambati Rayudu’s retirement, frees up a significant amount of CSK’s budget. Rayudu’s departure from the game came after the 2023 season. This financial liberation provides CSK with a chance to strategise anew for the upcoming season.

CSK now left with ₹31.4 crore

CSK also released several other players, including New Zealand’s Kyle Jamieson and South Africa’s Dwaine Pretorius. South African Sisanda Magala and domestic players Bhagath Varma, Subhranshu Senapati, and Akash Singh were also let go. This move leaves CSK with a budget of ₹31.4 crore for the 2024 season.

Teams had the November 26 deadline to announce their retained and released cricket players. However, they can still trade players until December 12. The player auction for the 2024 season is set for December 19 in Dubai.

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Updated: 27 Nov 2023, 09:45 AM IST