Ben Stokes suffers fresh injury setback to extend CSK absence

The England Test captain has only played two matches in the Indian Premier League due to a toe problem and head coach Stephen Fleming says the allrounder has suffered a new issue

Ben Stokes has picked up a new injury issue that will extend his absence from the Chennai Super Kings side for at least another week.

The England Test captain has only played two Indian Premier League games during the 2023 campaign due to a toe issue.

And Stokes, who had an injection before travelling to India to treat a long-running left knee injury, faces a further period on the sidelines.

"He had another little setback yesterday, so he's probably a few days or a week away at least," said head coach Stephen Fleming.

"This is a challenge. Now the team is playing well. The first thing is him being fit and then if we have a headache around selection...

^{CSK have won four and lost two of their six group matches (R.SATISH BABU/AFP via Getty Images)}

"Our priority is getting Ben fit and ready to play, that's what we are concentrating on.

"At the moment, he’s not quite ready. But as soon as he is, we'll worry about the next part, which is how the team works."

Stokes, who only played once in 2021 and skipped the 2022 tournament, has only featured twice this term for CSK after being signed for 16.25 crore (£1.62 million) in the mini-auction.

He made just seven against Gujarat Titans before registering eight and returning figures of 0 for 18 against Lucknow Super Giants.

CSK sit third in the IPL table and are next in action against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday (April 23) before taking on Rajasthan Royals (April 27) and Punjab Kings (April 30).

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