IPL 2023: CSK's Ben Stokes set to return to England after final league match

New Delhi: Struggling with fitness issues, England Test captain Ben Stokes is set to return home after Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) final IPL 2023 league match to give himself enough time to prepare for next month’s Ashes. IPL 2023: Full coverage | Points table | Schedule | Results | Orange Cap | Purple Cap​ The 31-year-old, who was bought by CSK for Rs 16.25 crore during the IPL auction in December 2022, participated in just the first two matches for CSK, scoring 7 and 8 and conceded 18 runs in his only over with the ball. With the Ashes series between England and Australia beginning with the opening Test on 16 June, Stokes will “will return to the UK after their final group game against Delhi Capitals on Saturday afternoon”, according to a report in ESPNcricinfo. As part of their preparation, England are also set to play a Test against Ireland at Lord’s on 1 June and Stokes, who has a long-running knee issue, had expressed his desire to “give myself enough time to get back and play that game” and “fulfill my role as fourth seamer” during the Ashes. Following the 3 April game, Stokes didn’t play any match for CSK initially due to a toe injury. On 22 April, CSK chief coach Stephen Fleming had said that Stokes has “suffered an injury setback and will be out for a week.” The star all-rounder was available for selection again last week but didn’t feature in the playing XI for CSK. While CSK are sitting pretty at the second spot in the IPL standings, Fleming said after their loss to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Sunday that bowling remains “a bit of a challenge” at the moment for Stokes and he is there as “batting cover”. With just one more match to go in the league stage against Delhi Capitals on Saturday, CSK are not expected to “chop and change” their playing XI. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.