Ben Stokes is considered to be one of the most valuable players in IPL and also by his team Rajasthan Royals. If not in terms of salary, then definitely by the way of Stokes’s accomplishments and dedication for his team game. However, the sad news is that he isn’t planning to fly to the UAE at all and stay beside his team and that too not even in the first half.

Stokes is currently attending to his father Gerald in Christchurch at the moment. Gerald was diagnosed with brain cancer earlier in 2020. Rajasthan Royals has to ensure that Ben and his ‘old man’ remain in tune with the stint this season, the franchise management and his team members are planning special and frequent video calls with Stokes and his family. This is being done to cheer up the father and son.

Despite there are several attempts which are being made continuously with the BCCI to allow the cricketers who are from England and Australia to join their respective franchise early of time, the board is sticking to the protocol that it has made that every individual arriving to play the IPL in UAE will have to undergo the mandatory quarantine. “It was six days for all the players who arrived here last month, and it’ll be the same for everyone else,” say those in the know.