"See you soon" - Ben Stokes sends a message to CSK fans ahead of IPl 2023

Ben Stokes recently updated CSK fans about his arrival in India for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season. Chennai Super Kings signed the England Test team captain for a whopping paycheck of INR 16.25 crore at the mini-auction in December last year.

Stokes took to his official Twitter handle on Thursday to inform CSK fans that he is en route to Chennai by sharing a photo from a car during his commute. He wrote:

"See you soon @ChennaiIPL."

There have been concerns regarding Ben Stokes' availability for IPL 2023 over the past few weeks due to his lingering knee issues. This has prevented him from bowling at full tilt multiple times during the last season of English Test cricket.

With the home Ashes series in sight later this year, many thought Ben Stokes might reconsider his participation in IPL 2023 to work on his fitness issues.

However, the England Test captain recently opened up that he has updated CSK head coach Stephen Fleming about his fitness and would participate in the league. He said, as quoted by the Daily Mail:

"I’m going to the IPL. I’ve had conversations with ‘Flem’ and he’s fully aware of the situation with my body. It's a week-by-week case at the moment. I’m not going to lie, it’s incredibly frustrating knowing something has been holding me back from performing as I’d like to.

"I’ve been working hard with the physios and the medics trying to get myself to a place where I can fulfill my role as I have done for the last 10 years."

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CSK will commence their IPL 2023 campaign on March 31 against Gujarat Titans

After winning the title in 2021, CSK endured a poor season last year as they ended up in the ninth position in the points table, just above their arch-rivals Mumbai Indians. They will be hoping for a turnaround in fortunes this season with a couple of new and exciting additions to their squad.

Here is CSK's complete schedule for IPL 2023:

March 31: Chennai Super Kings vs Gujarat Titans, Ahmedabad, 7:30 pm.

April 3: Chennai Super Kings vs Lucknow Super Giants, Chennai, 7:30 pm.

April 8: Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians, Mumbai, 7:30 pm.

April 12: Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals, Chennai, 7:30 pm.

April 17: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Chennai Super Kings, Bengaluru, 7:30 pm.

April 21: Chennai Super Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Chennai, 7:30 pm.

April 23: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata, 7:30 pm.

April 27: Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings, Jaipur 7:30 pm.

April 30: Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings, Chennai, 3:30 pm.

May 4: Lucknow Super Giants vs Chennai Super Kings, Lucknow, 3:30 pm.

May 6: Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians, Chennai, 3:30 pm.

May 10: Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Capitals, Chennai, 7:30 pm.

May 14: Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai, 7:30 pm.

May 20: Delhi Capitals vs Chennai Super Kings, Delhi, 3:30 pm.

May 14: Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai, 7:30 pm.

May 20: Delhi Capitals vs Chennai Super Kings, Delhi, 3:30 pm.