England all-rounder Ben Stokes did not join Rajasthan Royals’ camp in the UAE before the start of Indian Premier League 2020. The left-handed batsman had returned home to Christchurch in New Zealand during the Test series against Pakistan in August citing personal reasons. With the troubles back home, there were doubts whether Stokes would be playing in the IPL 2020. (IPL 2020 Full Coverage)
But those doubts were dispelled last week after Stokes announced his arrival in the UAE in style. Upon reaching the country to join RR camp, Stokes posted a story on his official Instagram account, in which he wrote: “Dubai is hot.”
But despite reaching UAE, Stokes is not playing in Rajasthan Royals’ IPL 2020 encounter against Mumbai Indians. Why?
As part of the Covid-19 protocols, Stokes is required to undergo six days of isolation period before joining his Royals teammates. He would also be required to undergo Covid-19 testing on Days 1, 3 and 6, and will only be allowed once all the tests return negative.
With the rules in place, fans will most likely get to see Stokes in action in the IPL by next week. Earlier, it was another RR batsman Jos Buttler, who had to sit out a game because of Covid-19 protocols.
Meanwhile, MI won the toss and elected to bat against RR in Abu Dhabi.
Source: IPLT20.com