Ben Stokes IPL 2020 participation in doubt as his father battles brain cancer

England all-rounder Ben Stokes is back home in New Zealand to see his ailing father who is battling Brain ...

By Lokmat English Desk | Published: September 2, 2020 12:37 PM2020-09-02T12:37:17+5:302020-09-02T12:37:41+5:30

Ben Stokes IPL 2020 participation in doubt as his father battles brain cancer | Ben Stokes IPL 2020 participation in doubt as his father battles brain cancer

Ben Stokes IPL 2020 participation in doubt as his father battles brain cancer

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England all-rounder Ben Stokes is back home in New Zealand to see his ailing father who is battling Brain cancer. Stokes left the England test series against Pakistan midway, as he headed back home. Speaking to the Weekend Herald, Stokes revealed that he didn't sleep for a week after coming to know of his father's diagnosis. "I didn't sleep for a week and my head wasn't really in it," Stokes said. "Leaving was the right choice from a mental point of view." The latest development put's his IPL participation in doubt as the player is one of the vital cogs in the Royals setup. 

England and Australian internationals were already supposed to be missing the first week's action due to the quarantine guidelines in the UAE – because of their late arrival for the new season but Stokes' case seems a more complicated one. The cash rich league which is stated to commence from Sep 19 in UAE is already facing a star crisis. Suresh Raina has already withdrawn himself from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 while Australian paceman Kane Richardson has remained home as his wife is expecting their first child. Earlier, Chris Woakes withdraw his name from the tournament to focus on red-ball cricket. Even Harbhajan Singh's IPL participation is in doubt, but the franchise is yet to release a official statement on the same. After shining with both the bat and the ball against West Indies, the unavailability of Stokes will be a major blow for the 2008 IPL champions. 
 

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