England’s Test captain Ben Stokes is likely to join the MI Cape Town franchise for the third season of SA20 next year. According to reports, the 33-year-old has received a lucrative offer from the franchise, despite his recent distance from white-ball cricket.
Stokes recently skipped the IPL 2024 season and the 2024 T20 World Cup to focus on his Test bowling for England. He also made a brief return to England’s ODI setup for the 2023 World Cup in India. His last white-ball match was against Pakistan in November 2023 at Eden Gardens.
The MI Cape Town franchise has reportedly offered Stokes a staggering £800,000 (Rs.8.6 crore) to compete in SA20 2025, scheduled from January 9 to February 8. Accepting the deal would mean missing England’s five-match T20I series in India during the same period.
Stokes’ all-round abilities and marketability make him a significant draw in franchise cricket. He played a crucial role in England’s 2019 World Cup and 2022 T20 World Cup victories and was named the ‘Most Valuable Player’ of the IPL 2017 season. However, he has been on a self-imposed sabbatical from white-ball cricket to prioritize Test matches for England. Stokes opted out of the IPL 2024 season and the 2024 T20 World Cup, and announced his retirement from ODIs in mid-2022, only to return for the 2023 World Cup at the request of captain Jos Buttler and team management.
Currently, Ben Stokes is leading the English cricket team in a three-match Test series against the West Indies.
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