Ben Stokes IPL 2020 news: Steve Smith discloses if Stokes will play IPL 2020 match vs SRH or not

Ben Stokes: The English all-rounder is yet to take part in the ongoing 13th season of the Indian Premier League.

Rajasthan Royals captain Steven Smith admits that his team is not performing up to the mark especially in pressure situations in the ongoing 13th season of the Indian Premier League.

Speaking during the post-match presentation ceremony after losing to Delhi Capitals 46 runs, Smith also opened up on his below par batting form this season.

“We are not playing good enough over the 40 overs, and not executing when the pressure is coming on and you can’t win many games that way. The bowlers did a good job, and I don’t think the wicket was as good as it has been here, a bit stoppy tonight, and we gave away 10-15 extra runs.

“We have to remain positive, turn things around quickly. At the moment it doesn’t seem to be going our way. I’m not batting too well either. I did feel good tonight with the bat but didn’t get hold of one that I feel like I should have,” Smith said.

Having scored 157 runs in six IPL 2020 matches at an average of 26.16 and a strike rate of 142.72, Smith is Royals’ second-highest run-scorer after Sanju Samson (176).

Will Ben Stokes play SRH vs RR IPL 2020 match?

A primary discussion point among fans of RR is the availability of star all-rounder Ben Stokes. Having last played competitive cricket during Pakistan’s tour of England in August, Stokes opted to skip the remaining series against Pakistan, white-ball series against Australia and the start of IPL 2020 citing personal reasons.

As reported earlier, Stokes will be available for Rajasthan’s next match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on October 11. While Smith opened up on similar lines, one feels the team management will assess Stokes’ match fitness before taking a final call.

“[Ben] Stokes hasn’t had a lot of practice, he gets out of quarantine tomorrow. He hasn’t had any practice. So, we will need to have a chat around that,” Smith added.