Even as Chennai Super Kings registered their fourth win of IPL 2023, their head coach Stephen Fleming gave an injury update over their premier all-rounder Ben Stokes. The England Test captain has played only two matches so far this season and is on the sidelines due to a heel injury. He was expected to return to action soon but Fleming has confirmed that Stokes will be miss a few more matches and might make a comeback after a week.
"He had another little setback yesterdayso he is still probably a few days or a week away at least. It is a challenge now that the team is playing well. The first thing is to get Ben fit and then if we have a headache around selection, we have a headache. The nature of the IPL is that things happen, so the priority is to get Ben fit and ready to play. That's what we are concentrating on at the moment and he is not quite ready for that," Fleming said in the post-match press conference after the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 21.
Stokes is yet to live up to his potential in IPL 2023 having scored only 15 runs in two matches and bowled just one over. He has already hinted at leaving the cash-rich league early in order to be ready and available for England's one-off Test against Ireland at the start of the summer. While nothing is confirmed yet but Stokes might not be available for the playoffs if CSK qualify. So the fans will be hoping that he gets fit sooner rather than later in order to contribute to team's success in the upcoming crucial games.
Meanwhile, the four-time champions are getting closer to the playoff qualification with each win. They are currently at the third position with four wins in six matches and are only behind Lucknow Super Giants and Rajasthan Royals who also have 8 points to their credit after playing six matches. With matches coming thick and fast, it will be interesting to see when Ben Stokes returns to CSK's playing XI in IPL 2023.
