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Chennai Super Kings (CSK) signed Ben Stokes for a record-breaking ₹16.25 crores in the IPL auction in December 2022, becoming the franchise's most expensive player ever.
However, Stokes has not had a great start to the season. He scored 15 runs and bowled just one over in his first two games for the franchise. He is suffering from a heel injury and will be unavailable for selection until April 30, according to many reports.
On that note, let's explore 3 reasons why his absence is not a huge blow for CSK.
#1 Not in good T20 batting form
Ben Stokes played a key role in the 2022 T20 World Cup final, scoring an unbeaten 52 off 49 balls to guide England to their second T20 WC title. This definitely enhanced his status as a T20 player coming into the auction.
However, the English Test captain has not been in great T20 form since his return to international cricket last year. He has scored 143 runs in eight innings at an average of 28.6 and a strike rate of 106.7.
#2 Takes up an overseas slot
CSK's two most valuable overseas players are Moeen Ali and Devon Conway. They have performed well for the franchise in their specific roles in the last couple of seasons.
Depending upon the pitch conditions and opposition, one of Mitchell Santner and Mahesh Theekshana will definitely be a part of the playing 11. This only leaves one more slot open for Matheesha Pathirana, Dwaine Pretorius, and Ben Stokes.
Pretorius is a T20 specialist in the lower-order & death-overs role, while Pathirana is likely to strengthen their bowling in the absence of Deepak Chahar. Unless Stokes bowls regularly, it is tough to see if he adds more value than these two while playing as a pure middle-order batter.
#3 Not a great fit in the number 3/4 role
The Englishman is best suited to bat as an opener in the shortest format of the game. However, CSK already have two highly reliable openers in Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway. Gaikwad has been one of the best performers for the franchise since his debut, while Conway is a top-quality anchor-type batter in the format.
Ben Stokes starts slow as a middle-order bat, which is something CSK do not exactly require at that stage of the innings after getting quick-fire starts from the opening pair. For that specific role, Ajinkya Rahane has looked in much more sublime form in the two matches this season.
