England's ace all-rounder Ben Stokes has hinted that he won't feature in the remaining games of now-suspended IPL 2021 even if he is fit to return to competitive cricket after recovering from his finger surgery.
Stokes picked up a finger injury during Rajasthan Royals' opening fixture against Punjab Kings last month and was subsequently ruled out of the cash-rich tournament.
The 14th edition of Indian Premier League was postponed indefinitely on May 4 after multiple COVID-19 cases were reported in the bio-bubble of various franchises.
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While the BCCI is exploring every possible window to complete the suspended league, ECB managing director Ashley Giles recently said England’s centrally contracted players are unlikely to be available for the remainder of IPL 2021 because of national commitment.
"We don't know if or when the tournament will be rearranged, but as the ECB have said it could be difficult for the England boys to have a free gap," Stokes wrote in his column for 'Daily Mirror'.
However, the flamboyant cricketer is confident about returning in the next edition.
"After this year though, I do look forward to playing a full part again at some point in the future."
Stokes said he was gutted when he got injured but after initial scepticism, opted for surgery.
"I can't put a date on when I'll be back playing again, but as long as things progress as well as they have then I should hope it will be well before the three months that was first feared and more like seven, eight, or nine weeks.
"You can never know for sure how long these things will take because it is not just about the technical side of healing and getting the bone strong, there is the big issue of having confidence in it to play professional sport."
According to Stokes, being mentally ready to compete again is a crucial factor while coming back from injury.
"Having the confidence to take an instinctive catch and just sticking your hand out to stop the ball takes a bit of time and I know that won't just return overnight, you have to build up to it," he explained.
Having represented Rajasthan Royals for three seasons, Stokes was disappointed to leave the team after first game this year. He also acknowledged how India is going through difficult times posed by the second COVID-19 wave.
"It was tough to say goodbye to the guys at the Rajasthan Royals earlier than I wanted, but the subsequent suspension of the tournament means that everyone is now back early with their families as India tries to get through such a difficult time."
(With PTI inputs)
