Stokes set for surgery on fractured finger; to be sidelined for up to 12 weeks

England all-rounder Ben Stokes is set to be out of action for up to 12 weeks after a scan and CT scan on Thursday (April 15) revealed that he has a fracture on his left index finger. Stokes broke his finger while attempting to take the catch of Chris Gayle at the boundary during Rajasthan Royals' (RR) opening Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 match against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Mumbai. As a result Stokes did not turn up for RR against DC, and was replaced by South Africa batsman David Miller in the XI.

Stokes will fly home from India on Saturday (April 17) and will have surgery in Leeds on Monday (April 19). As things stand, Stokes could be fit and available for the home series against India, which begins with the Test series at Trent Bridge on August 4.

The RR all-rounder missed the initial stages of IPL 2020 as well to be with his ailing father in New Zealand. However, he made some impact in the tournament, smashing a fifty and a hundred in his eight innings, but could not prevent RR from ending up at the bottom of the table. Stokes was also recently named Wisden Almanack Cricket of the Year.

In the ongoing IPL, RR lost their first match of the season, going down by just four runs against PBKS, chasing 222. Stokes got out for a three-ball duck and did not pick up a single wicket in the match.