In Short
- Stephen Fleming said that Ben Stokes is working hard to return
- Ben Stokes played in only the first two matches for CSK
- Stokes has been out since April 8 due to a toe injury
By India Today Sports DeskChennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming confirmed that England all-rounder Ben Stokes has suffered an injury setback and will be out for a week.
Stokes, one of CSK’s most expensive players in the IPL history, has played only the first two games for Chennai before getting ruled out of a match against Mumbai Indians on April 8 with a toe injury. Stokes has so far missed four matches and will remain on the sidelines for a week.
“He (Stokes) had another little setback yesterday so he will probably be a few days or a week away. This is a challenge but the team is playing well,” Fleming said in the post-match press conference after CSK beat SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) by seven wickets on April 21.
“The first thing is him being fit and then if we have a headache around selection, the nature of the IPL is that things happen. Our priority is to get him fit. At the moment, he’s not quite ready, But as soon as he is, we’ll worry about the next part.”
Fleming also provided an update on captain MS Dhoni, who has been nursing a knee injury in the IPL 2023. The CSK coach said that Dhonis is “managing his injury well” and there is no concern with him.
“MS is completely fine. He is managing his injury well. He is available. He always keeps the team first. If he knows he can’t contribute because of injury, he would have sat out himself. There is no concern with him,” Fleming said.
Chennai Super Kings have a growing list of injury in the ongoing season, with the likes of Deepak Chahar and Sisanda Magala injured. CSK lost Chahar due to a hamstring injury, while Magala is healing from a split webbing. Pacer Simarjeet Singh, who missed almost entire last domestic season, is also recovering.
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