"It's disappointing": Ben Stokes on his injury affected IPL 2023 for CSK

Ben Stokes was bought by CSK for INR 16.25 crores in IPL 2023 auction, but played only 2 matches.

England Test captain Ben Stokes had a disappointing outing in IPL 2023 despite being the costliest buy for his franchise, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as knee injury and selection issues limited his appearances to just 2 in which he scored 15 runs and didn’t bowl much.

As they romped their way to the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) final, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) appeared to be a well-oiled machine towards the end of the season. Once there, they defeated the defending champion Gujarat Titans in a thrilling last-ball match that lasted nearly three days due to Ahmedabad's constant rain.

However, they didn't appear to be that confident during the first part of the league stage, primarily due to the injuries that their best players were suffering.  

Ben Stokes had come in with a lot of hype but he also came with injury troubles. With England set to embark on a big summer that includes the Ashes, Stokes had to take a backseat.

However, talking to English media, Stokes joked that his role in CSK’s IPL 2023 win was akin to former England football captain John Terry's as his club Chelsea won the 2013 Champions League. Terry famously lifted the Champions League trophy in 2012 dressed in his full Chelsea kit despite missing the final against Bayern Munich through suspension.

"I played a little bit of a John Terry role winning the IPL," the allrounder joked during press commitments at Lord's.

I think I would much rather have been playing: Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes came into the IPL 2023 auction with a base price of INR 2 crores and was bought by CSK for INR 16.25, beating Deepak Chahar as their most expensive buy ever in any auction.

However, his knee issues initially and then CSK playing on home turf on slow turners meant that Moeen Ali was preferred over him and Stokes was relegated to the bench.  

"I think I would much rather have been playing. "I've then seen that as an opportunity to train as opposed to playing and then topping yourself up as the tournament goes along. Once you get into the tournament it's like play, travel, all that kind of stuff. So, I was actually able to turn a disappointing situation into a positive one because I was able to concentrate on properly being able to train, whether that be technical stuff with the bat or fitness stuff, stuff in the gym and being able to concentrate on something else,” he said.

"And that was a really good way to get through that long period of having something else to focus on, as opposed to being disappointed I wasn't playing. So looking back on it, you might say it's disappointing to only play two games but I was able to then do something else. Sitting here today, I'm actually thinking it could have been a blessing in disguise - every cloud has a silver lining," said Stokes.

Ben Stokes is currently leading the England side in an one-off Test against Ireland at Lord’s as a precursor to the upcoming five-Test Ashes series against Australia.