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Stokes may considered carefully by Teams in IPL auction, says Simon Helmont
By Aditya Pratap - Jan 16, 2018 4:07 pm
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Simon Helmot, an assistant coach in the Indian Premier League and former Big Bash League coach of Ben Stokes, has described the star England all-rounder as “an outstanding teammate” but says he expects IPL clubs to seek as much information as possible before deciding whether to bid for him at auction next weekend.

Stokes, 26, named player of last year’s IPL, was charged with affray earlier this week in relation to an incident that occurred in Bristol last September. Stokes and two other men are due to front the Bristol Magistrates’ Court at a date yet to be fixed. Following the announcement of the charges by the Crown Prosecution Service, the England and Wales Cricket Board issued a short statement to say the board would meet within 48 hours to determine Stokes’ availability to represent England.

Also Read: Ben Stokes to be charged with affray

The England vice-captain was suspended by the ECB shortly after a police investigation into the incident began, meaning he missed the Ashes series, won 4-0 by Australia, as well as the one-day series being played this month. He has been named in England’s squad for a Twenty20 tri-series next month featuring New Zealand and Australia, although his involvement was pending the outcome of the investigation.

The ECB had already announced Stokes would be allowed to participate in the IPL, which begins on April 4. However his involvement has been complicated by the likelihood an impending trial.

Also Read: ECB banned Stokes after bristol brawl

Talking about Team’s approach towards Stokes in the auction of Indian Premier League, he said “I think in relation to IPL, teams and owners are always having to consider player availability.”

Helmot further quoted to Fairfax Media from Bangladesh, where he is head coach at the country’s high performance academy, “Over the last 10 years, teams have been really careful on who they select because they may have a person who needs to go off and play international cricket somewhere else.”