Ben Stokes skipped IPL over Test cricket

Analysis Knight Rider

Ben Stokes skipped IPL over Test cricket

Ben Stokes skipped IPL over Test cricket
Ben Stokes has stated that Test cricket is his "number one priority" and has opted out of the IPL auction this weekend.

Stokes won the IPL MVP award in 2017. The 30-year-old was also the most expensive player in the 2018 auction. The Rajasthan Royals paid Rs. 12.5 crore (about £1.37 million) for him, although he has yet to register for the mega-sale in 2022.

Stokes' performances for Rajasthan were uninspiring - he scored two fifties and took 16 wickets in 31 matches - but his allrounder skills and bat adaptability would have made him a huge appeal at the auction. If Stokes had been accessible, Gautam Gambhir, the coach of the Lucknow Supergiants, has suggested that the club would have signed him ahead of Marcus Stoinis.

Stokes said he had considered it carefully" whether or not to enter the auction, but that playing two months of early-season County Championship cricket would best prepare him and England for their first home Test against New Zealand on June 2.

In order to prepare for the first Test, any England Test players selected in the IPL are likely to miss the concluding stages of the event.

Stokes commented that they must learn from their poor Ashes campaign in Australia and begin the process of rebuilding the team to where they want to be. He stated that for sure, it will take some time and it took time for the white-ball team to reach where they could win a World Cup. And now they must embark on a similar road with the Test squad, with everyone engaged fully committed to doing whatever it takes to improve and reclaim their place among the top teams.

He remarked that Test cricket is without a doubt his top priority, and he wishes to work with Joe Root, the best leader they could have, to help them reach the goal.

Stokes explained that that is the reason why he debated whether or not to attend the IPL and concluded that it wasn't about the money, but rather about his priorities. It would not be fair to any of the teams he joined if he wasn't completely focused on the task at hand.