England all-rounder Ben Stokes has been granted permission by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to participate in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The controversial star still remains suspended from the England national team after his involvement in a late-night brawl outside a Bristol night club in September.
The police investigation into the incident remains ongoing. As such, the 26-year-old’s fate with the national team remains uncertain as the ECB wait for the report before making a decision on the all-rounder’s future.
This uncertainty has seen the Durham man miss out on the ongoing Ashes series Down Under as well as the upcoming ODIs for which he was initially named in the squad. With the results of the investigation still not out, ECB has decided against sending Stokes to Australia for now with Dawid Malan being named as cover.
Stokes was in action recently for New Zealand side Canterbury.
The all-rounder had been provided a No Objection Certificate (NOC) by the ECB to play for Canterbury in New Zealand where he played six one-dayers. The ECB has conceded that Stokes would in all likelihood be allowed to participate in the IPL after being granted permission to play for Canterbury.
Stokes was the most expensive player in the last edition of the IPL where he fetched a whopping sum of £1.7m from the Rising Pune Super Giants. The Englishman is set to be highly in demand despite his recent controversies when the IPL auction is held on January 27 and 28.
With ECB still waiting on the police report, it could be highly likely that Stokes will participate in the IPL while remaining suspended from international duty.