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'Would any team have bought him for ₹16.25 crores?': Ex-IND opener's blunt take on Ben Stokes opting out of IPL 2024
Chennai Super Kings will be without Ben Stokes after the England Test captain opted out of the 2024 edition of the IPL.
Ben Stokes was in the list of players released by Chennai Super Kings after the England Test captain said that he won't be playing in the 2024 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Stokes had said at the end of England's campaign in the recently concluded 2023 World Cup that he will be undergoing a knee surgery and is hopeful of returning fully fit for England's upcoming Test calendar, which includes a five-match series in India from January 25.
CSK had earlier said that the franchise is supportive of Stokes's decision. While CSK had won the title in 2023, Stokes had hardly been able to play a role in it, being able to play just two matches in which he scored 15 runs and could bowl just one over. Former India opener Aakash Chopra has said CSK may have never retained Stokes even if he had chosen to take part in the 2024 IPL due to his injury problems and moreover, no other team would have shelled out ₹16.25 crores for him in the auction either.
“Ben Stokes has said that he won't play in the IPL. Were Chennai going to retain him? That's a big question. In my opinion, they weren't going to do so. Would any other team have bought him for 16.25 crores? My two cents - it was not going to happen,” said Chopra on his Youtube channel.
"So he did the right thing. I don't know if it's strategic or anything. Why should we comment on it? The truth is that 16.25 crore rupees are suddenly freed there. Ambati Rayudu has retired. So you have 20 crore rupees and you will get five crores in any case when the purse is increased."
Kyle Jamieson, Dwaine Pretorius among those released by CSK
Apart from Stokes, Ambati Rayudu is among the unsurprising names in the list of players released by CSK. Rayudu announced his retirement after the 2023 season. CSK also let go of young New Zealand fast bowling all-rounder Kyle Jamieson and South Africa pacer Dwaine Pretorius.
South African Sisanda Magala has also been released while domestic players Bhagath Varma, Subhranshu Senapati and Akash Singh round up the list of players let go of by the five-time IPL champions. This has left them with a purse of ₹31.4 crore.
While the deadline day for teams to announced their retained and released players was Sunday, the window for teams to trade players stays open until December 12. The player auction for the 2024 season will then take place seven days later on December 19 in Dubai.
