Ben Stokes: “I Am Preparing To Play In The Indian Premier League (IPL-2020)”

Benjamin Andrew Stokes, English international all-rounder and current vice-captain of the England Test team, says that still, he is preparing himself to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL), despite knowing that the game is unlikely to be continued.

Stokes was signed for Rajasthan Royals and is one of the thirteen English essential players, who are all ready to feature in the IPL. But because of Coronavirus pandemic, the T20 tournament has already postponed to 15th April, and now India has entered a three-week lockdown to combat the virus spread.

But Ben Stokes said, “Now, my next target is to play in IPL. There is no declaration of further delay. So, I have to think, on 20th April, I will be playing.”

Because of the deadly virus, the Sri Lanka tour of England canceled last week, and also England and Wales Cricket Board declared that the English country season would not begin until May last.

Also, he added that “Although in the back of my mind, I know maybe I can’t play, I have to set my mind that I am playing in the tournament. I have to prepare myself so well that in case the game will happen, I am fit to attend.”

Further, he continued, “I can’t take three weeks, such a long time off, and get the body to be ready for 20th April. It could happen, and if it does, in any case, I don’t want to be behind.”

“There will be several suggestions given to the players, and in case it was a choice to attend, we will have to take the wise decision,” Stokes added.

In An Interview:

In an interview, he said that “When the Sri Lanka tour canceled, everyone was shocked in the dressing room for half an hour. It was really a very weird feeling since we had been preparing ourselves for the tournament for 10-12 days.”

“But when we assembled everything and understand what the whole world is facing with the deadly virus, we purely support the decision and realize that the health of the society is much more important than anything else. ”