England star all rounder Ben Stokes’s father’s illness has kept him out of action since England’s test series against Pakistan and is a major doubt for IPL 2020. Should he be unavailable, it would severely impact Rajasthan Royals’ campaign at this year’s Indian Premier League 2020.
Rajasthan Royals team core comprises of three Englishmen — Stokes, Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer along with their Australian skipper Steve Smith. However, it is the magnificence of Strokes that defines the Royals, the perennial under-performers. They boasted quality players in their line up over the years but did not get the desired result.
His father’s illness has kept him out of action for some time now and his absence, certainly in the first half of the league, would disturb the balance of the side. If Stokes could join in the second half, the responsibility of keeping the side alive for the play-offs would be on their foreign recruits since Indian players in the set up do not inspire much confidence.
Buttler and Archer are expected to be available from the second game after their mandatory quarantine and their good form is a silver lining for the Royals. However there is a concern among the camp with regards to their skipper Smith’s current form. Smith suffered another concussion hit in the UK during a recent training session.
The other two foreigners who can take some load off are South African batsman David Miller and Australian pacer Andrew Tye. For the Royals, the problem is their Indian core which hasn’t exactly been consistent. Sanju Samson, an IPL specialist, is a minefield of talent but has rarely performed in five straight games in any of the editions during the past five years.
Robin Uthappa, once a prolific IPL player, has not been able to perform consistently. Jaydev Unadkat, after one stellar season with now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiants, hasn’t been able to replicate the form for Royals. A million-dollar-plus price tag is weighing heavily on him.
The inconsistencies of Varun Aaron and Manan Vohra do no good to the confidence of the team. This leaves the rookies Riyan Parag and left-handed opener Yashasvi Jaiswal to complete the task which might be too much to ask for considering their inexperience.
Should not Ben Stokes be available, it would be a mountain to climb for the Rajasthan Royals to win the tournament without the services of their star man.
