IPL 2021: Rajasthan Royals’ Ben Stokes to miss rest of season after injuring finger in Punjab Kings game

Mumbai: Ben Stokes' Indian Premier League campaign has come to an abrupt end after the England all-rounder sustained a broken finger on his left hand while fielding during Rajasthan Royals' match against Punjab Kings on Monday in Mumbai.

The Royals confirmed the development late on Tuesday night via a press release in which they said: "Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Ben Stokes injured a finger on his left hand while fielding... 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."

The story was first reported by British newspaper The Independent, which said that Stokes had injured his left hand while taking a diving catch to dismiss West Indies dasher Chris Gayle.

Ben Stokes takes a catch to dismiss Chris Gayle during match 4 of the Vivo Indian Premier League 2021 between Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Sportzpics

"Having dropped a chance earlier in the match, Stokes ran in from long on and dived forward to complete the dismissal of the West Indian batsman. He immediately felt discomfort in his left hand, grimacing as he got up to celebrate with his teammates," the newspaper reported.

It was due to the injury that Stokes didn't bowl more than one over with Punjab Kings scoring a massive 222.

"The Independent understands that Stokes will remain out in India for a week. Dialogue has already begun between the ECB and Royals around managing the injury," the newspaper said. "He will have an X-Ray in India (Mumbai) on Thursday to determine how much damage has been done before the ECB take over the planning of the recovery."

Meanwhile, Rajasthan said they will be looking at a potential replacement for the star.

"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," the franchise said in a statement.

With PTI inputs