England all-rounder Ben Stokes's IPL campaign has come to an abrupt end after sustaining a broken finger during Rajasthan Royals's opening game against Punjab Kings, in Mumbai, on Monday.
Stokes’s IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals confirmed the development, saying "subsequent investigations revealed that he sustained a broken finger, which will unfortunately rule him out of the remainder of the Indian Premier League 2021 season".
"Everyone at Rajasthan Royals absolutely admires Ben for being such a huge asset and a valuable member of the Royals family, both on and off the field, and wishes him a speedy recovery.
"We are delighted that Ben would like to stay with the group to provide his valued support and inputs off the field.
"In the meantime, we will be reviewing potential replacement options for the remainder of the season," read a statement from the franchise.
Stokes sustained the injury while taking a diving catch to dismiss West Indies dasher Chris Gayle.
Having dropped a catch earlier in the match, the England all-rounder ran in from long-on and dived forward to complete the dismissal of the West Indian batsman. However, he immediately felt discomfort in his left hand, grimacing as he got back on his feet to celebrate with his teammates.
Following the injury Stokes did not bowl more than one over as Punjab Kings went on to post a massive 222.
