England Test skipper Ben Stokes will take part in the 2023 edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) despite his obvious issues with a knee injury.
Stokes bowled just two overs as England spent two-and-a-half days in the field, having asked New Zealand to follow-on in the second Test at Basin Reserve.
While Stokes admitted that the issue is "incredibly frustrating", he still intends to play for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and will also turn up in the Ashes to fulfil his role as fourth seamer.
Stokes didn’t reveal the extent of the injury but he is confident that he would be able to improve his knee in a "four month period… before the Ashes."
The ace all-rounder may not play a role with the ball in the IPL, he is expected to bat and field as normal. Stokes was roped in by Chennai Super King (CSK) for a hefty sum of INR 16.25 Crore at the IPL 2023 auction.
"I'm not going to lie, it has been very frustrating knowing something has been holding me back from performing as I'd like to," Stokes said after England suffered a one-run defeat in Wellington Test. "Over the next four months I'm going to have a lot of time to give myself the best opportunity to get it right.
"Don't worry, I'm going to the IPL. I've had conversations with Stephen Fleming [head coach at CSK] and he's fully aware of the situation with my body at the moment. It's a week by week case at the moment.
"I've been working hard with the physios and the medics trying to get myself into a place where I can fulfil that role how I have done over the last 10 years.
"I've got a four month period now to get it even better before the Ashes, because I want to be turning up in Birmingham [the venue for the first Ashes Test] able to fulfil that role properly. It is frustrating knowing I can't give everything I normally do, but I'll be doing everything I can to give myself the best opportunity of not having to worry about that.
"I've been in different situations where I've been good, I've gone through situations where it's not been good. But if anything I'll probably take my commitment to getting it better even more. I've been working hard with our physio and medics but once the games came around it's been hard to get everything done around my knee.
"It's incredibly frustrating knowing something is holding me back being able to fulfil my role, especially as a fourth seamer."
On being asked whether he would require surgery, Stokes replied: "I'm not a surgeon".
Talking about a specific diagnosis for the knee, the England Test captain said: "I do but I'll keep it to myself."
The 2023 edition of Indian Premier League is scheduled to be played from March 31 to May 28 while the iconic Ashes series will begin on June 16.
