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Rajasthan Royals will be without the services of Ben Stokes for the second phase of the 2021 IPL as the England all-rounder has taken an indefinite break from all forms of cricket to tend to his mental health. His finger injury is still bothering him and he wants to be in the best of shape for the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 which will take place after the IPL.
For Rajasthan, however, this will be a huge hole to fill as Ben Stokes provides an all-round balance to the side. He has been used as an opener by the side in the IPL and he takes the ball for the difficult overs. The side will now look at unsold players in order to get a replacement for the all-rounder.
Here, we take a look at three possible replacements for Ben Stokes in the IPL:
1.) Alex Hales
Alex Hales is a curious case in England cricket. From being one of the men responsible for ushering in a revolution to the white-ball format, to falling out of favor with the management, he has seen it all.
However, he continues to be one of the most consistent players in the format. He is an aggressive player, a player that takes the game to the opposition right from the outset. He can be a great addition to Rajasthan Royals playing XI.
He has had a fantastic BBL career, where he has scored 1474 runs in 47 matches at an impressive strike rate of 152.12. In 60 T20I games, Hales has scored 1644 runs with a strike rate of 136.66 - he has also smashed a century to his name in T20Is.
2.) Devon Conway
From meandering in obscurity in South African cricket, to being one of the hot properties in international cricket for New Zealand, Devon Conway is perhaps the most complete opener currently.
He has been absolutely irresistible in international cricket. In three Test matches, the left-hander has scored 379 runs at an average of 63.2. In 3 ODIs, he has scored 225 runs at an average of 75 and with a strike rate of 88.
Such is his range and versatility that in 14 T20Is, he has smashed 473 runs at an average of 59 and with a strike rate of 151. A left-hander at the top of the order is the way Rajasthan Royals like to approach matches and Conway can be a solid option for them up front.
Check out the latest points table IPL 2021 here.
3.) Adil Rashid
In Sanju Samson and Liam Livingstone, Rajasthan Royals do have firepower at the top of the order and can opt for an attacking leg-spinner in Adil Rashid to shore up their options in the bowling department - something that has left them stumped over the years.
Adil Rashid, for all his prowess and pedigree, has not found any takers at IPL auctions, but has shown his class over the years as a leg-spinner. He can take the ball during powerplay overs, can control the middle overs and can also be thrown the ball at the backend of an innings.
Rajasthan Royals need to start winning matches and they will need attacking options with the ball and this is where Rashid fits the bill perfectly.
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