Rajasthan Royals head coach Andrew McDonald says the franchise is "not sure" about the availability of star all-rounder Ben Stokes in the upcoming IPL as he is tending to his ailing father in New Zealand. Stokes, hero of England’s World Cup triumph last year, is going through a tough phase. He pulled out of the three-match series against Pakistan in August before the second Test to be with his father, diagnosed with brain cancer. "First and foremost, thoughts with the Stokes family. It’s a difficult scenario, so we’re giving him as much time as he needs, and connecting with him as best we can," McDonald was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

No second-guessing

"So yeah, we’re not sure where Stokesy’s at right now, but once it has played out, then we can make our decisions from there. But I don’t want to second-guess what will happen with him just yet." Since the first Test against Pakistan, the top all-rounder has not played any cricket. Instead, he travelled to New Zealand, where his parents are settled.