The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) was on the receiving end of criticism over the way they implemented the player rotation policy during the India tour. Several key players were missing during the four Tests, while allrounder Ben Stokes played all the games across all formats.
Several cricketing legends including Nasser Hussain pointed out that if the players needed a break, they could have taken so during the Indian Premier League. Hussain, in his Daily Mail column, wrote that England players could have missed either of the two IPLs that are taking place so close to each other (IPL 2020 took place between September to November).
But Stokes believes participating in the IPL will help England players, especially with the T20I World Cup set to take place this year in India.
"Yes - the percentage of English players in the IPL has probably grown in the last five or so years," Stokes, who will turn up for the Rajasthan Royals, told 'Sky Sports'.
{{/usCountry}}"Yes - the percentage of English players in the IPL has probably grown in the last five or so years," Stokes, who will turn up for the Rajasthan Royals, told 'Sky Sports'.
{{/usCountry}}"Not only is that great for the individual but it is also great for the players involved in the England set-up; it gives them experience in the most high-profile competition in the world but not only that - you are under constant pressure to perform," the imposing all-rounder added.
"You've got billions of people watching you and you've got the pressure of the franchise on you.
"Being constantly exposed to that is a huge benefit to us as a team, especially with the T20 World Cup coming up at the end of the year in India; it's a great chance for the English guys to get more experience in these conditions," Stokes added.
"It's great for the competition that it's come back to its roots after taking place in Dubai last year, which was an achievement in itself.
"Fingers crossed that fans will be allowed back in at some point during this IPL because they are a huge part of this game and why we play.
"It was an amazing feeling to have fans back in the grounds on our (England's) recent tour of India - even though 100 per cent of the crowd were against us! Being back in the thick of that atmosphere was amazing," he further said.
"Last year was obviously disappointing. Yes, we finished bottom of the table but I think it's not as simple as that. We ebbed and flowed with our performances throughout the season: we had some great ones followed by some pretty poor performances.
"But every year is a clean slate and we are really excited about the prospects of what we are able to do on the field this year," he signed off.