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IPL 2020: Steve Smith reveals when Ben Stokes will be available for Rajasthan Royals

Stokes, who missed the first part of IPL due to personal reasons, reached UAE last week and is currently undergoing his mandatory quarantine.

When will Ben Stokes be available for selection?

Abu Dhabi, October 7: Rajasthan Royals skipper Steve Smith revealed when star all-rounder Ben Stokes will available for selection in the ongoing IPL 2020.

After Rajasthan Royals suffered their third successive defeat, captain Smith informed that swash-buckling English all-rounder Stokes won't be available till October 10, meaning he will miss Royals' next game which is set to take place on October 9.

"He (Stokes) is not out till the 10th I think. He is not too far away, hopefully we can get a few wins before he's back and then gain momentum," Smith said after the match.

Stokes, who missed the first part of IPL due to personal reasons, reached UAE last week and is currently undergoing his mandatory quarantine. He missed the initial couple of weeks of the tournament in order to be with his family in New Zealand.

In August, Stokes had pulled out of the Pakistan Test series midway in order to be with his family in Christchurch after his father was diagnosed with cancer.

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Stokes' arrival in the UAE comes as a big boost for the Royals as it would add more strength to their batting unit, which is currently heavily dependent on Sanju Samson and Steve Smith. His presence in the team will also provide strength to their bowling unit.

But his absence for one more match for struggling Rajasthan Royals will be a blow as they have suffered back-to-back three defeats after getting their campaign off to good start with two massive wins in Sharjah.

However, since they moved out of the batsman's paradise in Sharjah, they have faced deafeats in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

And after their match against Mumbai Indians, Smith blamed the top-order for their third straight loss.

"Obviously, losing wickets early does not help us. We haven't been able to get off to a good start in the last three games. So outside of Jos (Buttler) and Jofra (Archer) in the end there, we have got to do a bit of work with our batting, I'm sure," Smith said.

"I don't think we need to panic too much. It is just about implementing our plans and playing some good cricket for longer, we have not been able to do that in the last three games and we got to turn that around quickly."

Story first published: Wednesday, October 7, 2020, 0:34 [IST]
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