Ben Stokes to miss rest of IPL with broken finger - and why this could save England's summer
Ben Stokes will miss the rest of the IPL and England will be worried about his fitness for the first Test against New Zealand on June 2 after he was diagnosed with a broken finger.
Stokes suffered a fracture to the index finger of his left hand while trying to take a catch in Rajasthan Royals’ opening game of the tournament on Monday.
A subsequent x-ray on Tuesday confirmed the fracture and the Royals released a statement saying he will miss the rest of the IPL.
He will undergo another x-ray and probably a scan in India over the next 24 hours. The results will be assessed by the England medical team and a hand specialist in the UK.
Stokes will stay in India with Rajasthan Royals for another week before flying home to recuperate and try to be fit in time for the opening Test of the summer at Lord’s on June 2.
The IPL is due to finish on May 31 and with Rajasthan Royals already ruling such a key player out of the whole tournament it suggests the break is serious. Stokes would need to prove his fitness for the first Test by playing in the last round of championship matches. Durham play Essex in a match starting on May 27.
It underlines the risks involved when centrally contracted players appear in franchise tournaments but with the sums of money on offer in India, there is little England can do but accept it is part of the territory now.
In a strange way, it is not the worst news for England. Broken fingers should heal relatively quickly and not leave lasting damage. Stokes will be forced to rest for the next month at least, opening up an unexpected gap in his schedule in a busy year when he will be expected to spearhead England’s Twenty20 World Cup and Ashes challenge. Rajasthan Royals will now look for a replacement player.
It is a huge blow for the team, who finished bottom last year and narrowly lost its opening game on Monday to Kings XI.
They are already without Jofra Archer and a big decision is looming for the ECB over their prized fast bowler. It was announced on Tuesday that Archer can return to training after surgery on a minor surgery on his right hand after he cut it cleaning a fish tank at home. But it is the state of his elbow that is the bigger worry.
He has had two cortisone injections in his right elbow this year alone and managed to play only two out of four Tests in India, and struggled for pace and rhythm due to his injury.
England now have to decide whether to allow him to play in the IPL or stay home and rest the elbow further in preparation for a massive year of Test cricket and the Twenty20 World Cup.
“A further update on his elbow injury will be provided once he has returned to bowling to assess the effectiveness of his recent injection,” said an England statement. “No decision has been made as yet on when Archer is due to return to playing.”
