Ben Stokes to be unavailable for CSK in latter stages of the IPL 2023, more England stars could pull out

England Test captain Ben Stokes has confirmed that he will be available for their Test match at Lord's against Ireland, which will take place just four days after the IPL final.

England Test captain and star all-rounder Ben Stokes is likely to miss the latter stages of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL), where he is set to turn up for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Stokes has said that he will be returning to England to lead the team against Ireland in a one-off Test match before the start of the Ashes.

Mount Maunganui [New Zealand], Feb 18 (ANI): England all-rounder and Test skipper Ben Stokes made history surpassing New Zealand's Brendon McCullum to become the player with the most sixes in the history of Test cricket on Saturday. (ANI Photo) (ICC Cricket)

The Ireland Test is set to take is set to start on June 1 while according to the schedule for the 2023 IPL released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) last week, the final of the tournament will take place on May 28. This leaves just a four-day turnover between the final and the Test match and Stokes has said that he intends to give himself enough time to prepare for the latter game as well.

"Yes, I'll play," Stokes told reporters after England's 267-run win over New Zealand in the first Test when asked if he will play the Ireland Test. "I'll be making sure that I give myself enough time to get back and play that (Ireland) game." Stokes' statement is set to be another setback for CSK, after New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson was ruled out for the entirety of the season after needing a back surgery.

Stokes also said that that he will also speak with other England Test players who are set to play the IPL as to what they require in preparation for the Ashes, based on which they will either continue with their respective franchises or return to England. Joe Root, Mark Wood, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Jofra Archer and Sam Curran are the other England red-ball players who are set to be active in the IPL.

“I'll probably get round the individuals and ask them what they want to be ready for for the Ashes, because those five games are obviously the big ones of the summer, and you've got to think about what lads want. But what if something was to happen in that game (Ireland) and we lose someone for the Ashes ... It's just one of those where you have to weigh up the options of what the individual person actually wants out of that week, versus do we really need to play that one. Because, obviously, I'm right in saying that series is bigger than that game against Ireland,” said Stokes.

Stokes, alongwith head coach Brendon McCullum, has led a dramatic upturn in fortunes for England since taking over as Test captain. England have won 10 out of the 11 matches that they have played under Stokes. They have adapted a high octane aggressive style of play marked by batters scoring at a high strike rate and Stokes making aggressive declarations to force a result.