Ben Stokes hints at cutting short IPL 2023 stint with CSK to prepare for home Ashes

T20 World Cup winner with England Ben Stokes was picked by four-time IPL winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at last year’s auction forINR 16.25 crores ($1.9m). Tipped to be CSK’s next leader following MS Dhoni’s potential retirement from the IPL after theupcoming season, Stokes could be on his way out to England irrespective of how far does the franchise reaches in the cash-rich league this time. Ahead of England’s second Test against New Zealand at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, which begins on Friday,Test skipper Stokes hinted at cutting short his IPL 2023 stint so as to prepare for one Ireland Test and the home Ashes thatfollows.

After BCCI announced the much-awaited IPL 2023 schedule that begins on March 31st and ends on May 28th – just four days before the start of the lone England vs Ireland Test at The Lord’s, Stokes told reporters he would be playing in the slated Test, and for that if he has to come home early, leaving the IPL at a later stage, so be it.

"Yes, I'll play," Stokes answered 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."

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While the English Cricket Board (ECB) hasn’t enforced a return date for the Test players playing in the IPL including that of Joe Root, Mark Wood, Jonny Bairstow and Jofra Archer among others; Stokes said he would speak with the board, management and the players to see what windows suits everyone the best. He added saying if for some players it makes sense to miss the Ireland Test in order to stay fit and get ready for the home Ashes that follows, he’d leave the door open for that too.

"I'll probably get round the individuals and ask them what they want to be ready 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," Stokes on how he’s going to do player management ahead of the Ashes.

Meanwhile, alongside Stokes, several other English players also made headlines for their hefty prices tags at the IPL 2023 auction. While young all-rounder Sam Curran became the most-expensive player in IPL history by going for INR 18.5 crores ($ 2.25m) to Punjab Kings, SunRisers Hyderabad broke the bank for the dynamite all-format batter Harry Brook, purchasing him for a whopping INR 13.25 crores ($ 1.5m).

Chennai and defending champions Gujarat Titans will face off in the first match of IPL 2023 on March 31st.