England's star all-rounder Ben Stokes will arrive in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday night to join Rajasthan Royals for the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League. The star player will undergo a six-day quarantine upon his arrival, as per IPL rules related to Covid-19 protocols and after that will join Rajasthan Royals.
Several reports suggested that Stokes was unable to play for Rajasthan in the first few matches of the IPL due to his father's deteriorating health, although now he is going to join the team soon. Stokes had earlier posted images of him with his family on Instagram with the caption: 'goodbyes never get easier'.
Rajasthan Royals will get a lot of boost when Stokes reaches UAE as the team has missed his contribution with bat and ball. Rajasthan have won two of the three matches played so far. At the same time, deficiencies in the team's middle order were revealed due to the lack of Stokes.
Veteran batsman Robin Uthappa and youngster Ryan Parag failed to make up during Stokes absence. In fact, Stokes' inclusion in the team also provides an option for bowling as he is also very effective with the ball. Captain Steve Smith is going to get a lot of help with Stokes joining the team.
Today Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will face each other. The match will start at 3.30 pm IST. Both Rajasthan Royals and RCB have won two out of three matches so far. For the first time in a daylight match, the players will not deal with the heat and humidity of the UAE.