On November 30th, all the IPL franchises announced the list of retained players before IPL 2022 auctions. A few teams surprised fans and neutral viewers with their decisions. Of course, all teams had their reasons to arrive at their decision.
In this article, we take a look at the biggest reason why the Rajasthan Royals didn’t retain Ben Stokes ahead of the IPL 2022 Mega Auction.
Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler to continue playing for RR
Rajasthan Royals have made two quality retentions in the form of Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler. Both the wicket-keeper batsmen have been in top form for the franchise over the past few years. Since they also add leadership values, it was obvious that the duo was going to be retained. Yashasvi Jaiswal has also been retained as the uncapped player.
One of the big decisions RR has made is to release the English duo of Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes. While Jofra has had injury issues, Ben Stokes played for RR in IPL 2021. Hence, releasing the all-rounder was a big surprise.
The reason why Rajasthan Royals didn’t retain Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes is an elite all-rounder, and at the moment, many consider him to be the best in his profile on the planet. However, the Englishman recently missed a few months of cricket due to mental health issues. He also nursed an injury during the period. Hence, in the future, Stokes might take a conscious decision not to play the IPL in future.
While that is one of the main reasons, the fact that Ben Stokes is inconsistent in IPL could also be one of the factors. Hence, there is a chance that he could be available at a lesser price at the auctions. Therefore, Rajasthan Royals might have released the player. That said, if Stokes makes himself available for IPL 2022, he is sure to get a big bid.
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