Stokes ruled out of IPL 2021 with broken finger

Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the Indian Premier League 2021 after injuring his index finger on the left hand in the franchise's season opener against Punjab Kings on Monday (April 12). 

Having missed a catch earlier in the game, Stokes took a diving catch to dismiss Chris Gayle at long-on and immediately felt discomfort in his left hand.

Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the IPL following a broken finger in last night's game. 😔

He will stay with the Royals and support the rest of the group in the upcoming matches. 💗#RoyalsFamily | @benstokes38 pic.twitter.com/WVUIFmPLMJ

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) April 13, 2021

Rajasthan lost to Punjab by just four runs in a high-scoring affair and Stokes failed to make any impact. The 29-year-old only bowled one over and was later dismissed for a duck.

This news will come as a massive blow for RR who are already missing the services of Jofra Archer. The paceman suffered a cut to his hand while cleaning at his home in January and had to go through surgery. 

He has now got the green light to resume training later this week but hasn't yet set a date regarding his comeback to competitive cricket.