WELLINGTON: England Test skipper Ben Stokes may leave the Indian Premier League 2023 early to lead his national side in the one-off Ireland Test and prepare for the Ashes. The IPL final is set to be played on May 28, four days before the start of the Ireland Test at Lord’s on June 1, while the marquee Ashes series against Australia will begin on June 16. Stokes, who missed the last two editions of the IPL due to different reasons, was bought by four-time champion Chennai Super Kings for a whopping Rs 16.25 crore at the auction. “I will be making sure that I give myself enough time to get back and play that (Ireland) game,” Stokes said ahead of England’s second Test with New Zealand. Stokes added that he would consult other English players competing in the IPL on how to prepare for the Ashes. The likes of Joe Root, Mark Wood, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Jofra Archer, Sam Curran and Harry Brook are set to play IPL 2023. “I will probably get round the individuals and ask them what they want [to do] to be ready for the Ashes, because those five games are obviously the big ones of the summer. You have got to think about what the lads want.”

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