"Until next time" - Ben Stokes leaves Chennai Super Kings ahead of IPL 2023 Qualifier 1 match against Gujarat Titans

Ben Stokes has left the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) camp ahead of their crucial Qualifier 1 match in IPL 2023 against the Gujarat Titans. The England captain will head home to gear up for the upcoming Test matches in the English summer.

England will play a Test against Ireland in June, which will be followed by a five-Test Ashes series against arch-rivals Australia. Ben Stokes had already clarified that he would leave CSK early in IPL 2023 to prepare for the Test matches.

CSK confirmed that Stokes left the squad after their final league-stage match of IPL 2023 against the Delhi Capitals last evening. Bidding farewell to the England Test captain, CSK wrote on Twitter earlier today:

"Home bound for the national duty! We’ll be whistling for you, Stokesy! Until next time!"

Ben Stokes played only 2 matches for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2023

Chennai Super Kings went all out for Stokes at the IPL 2023 Auction last December and roped him in for a whopping ₹16.25 crore. Fans expected the England all-rounder to play a match-winning role for the Chennai-based franchise, but he could not make much of an impact in any of the departments.

Stokes featured in CSK's playing XI for their first two games against the Gujarat Titans and the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). He was left out of the match squad due to fitness issues after the game against LSG.

While Stokes recovered from his injury soon after, he failed to find a place in the CSK playing XI as the other overseas players were performing well.

Shedding some light on Stokes' numbers in IPL 2023, the all-rounder scored 15 runs and failed to take any wickets for CSK. His batting average was 7.50, while his economy rate was 18.

It will be interesting to see if the Chennai Super Kings retain him for IPL 2024.