
With just days to go for the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season 16, Chennai Super Kings batting coach Michael Hussey has commented on Ben Stokes’ role in the team. Stokes, a big money purchase for CSK for Rs 16.25 crore arrived at the CSK camp last week and will look to help the team rise from ashes after a disappointing 2022 season.
Stokes is likely to play as a specialist batter at the start of the 2023 IPL and has had a cortisone injection in order to manage an injury to his left knee, according to a report published on Tuesday.
"My understanding is he's ready to go as a batsman from the start," Mike Hussey, Super Kings' batting coach, told ESPNcricinfo and PA news.
"The bowling might be wait and see. I know he had his first very light bowl yesterday [Sunday] since he had his injections in his knee.
"The physios from Chennai and the ECB are working pretty closely together. My understanding is he won't be bowling much at all in the first few games of the tournament… it might be a few weeks. I'm not 100% sure, [but we will] hopefully get him bowling at some stage in the tournament."
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While limited-overs cricket has already seen the best out of the former Rajasthan Royals man, he has excelled in the red-ball format for England. Stokes is yet to lose a Test series as England skipper and has led them to series wins against New Zealand, South Africa and Pakistan.
Stokes also guided England in the Birmingham Test, where his side beat India in July 2022. Most recently he was seen in action in the Test series against New Zealand, where his side was on the receiving end. New Zealand's win against England saw them become just the third nation to have won a Test match despite following-on.
CSK will start their IPL 2023 campaign against Gujarat Titans on coming Friday, March 31 with the contest taking place at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmadabad.
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