England all-rounder Ben Stokes will be eligible to play in the Indian Premier League despite still waiting to hear if he will be charged over an incident last year. The 26-year-old has missed the ongoing Ashes series after being banned from international duty while police investigate his alleged role in a fight outside a nightclub in Bristol last September.
But he received the green light to go to India from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Monday, according to the BBC. Stokes was recently granted a 'no objection certificate' to play for Canterbury in New Zealand, the land of his birth, though he cut short his stay there for "family reasons". And ECB chief executive Tom Harrison conceded it would be "difficult" to prevent him playing in the IPL.
Stokes, who has been replaced in the England ODI squad for the series with Australia by Dawid Malan after originally being included, is looking at a lucrative contract in the IPL. Last year he was signed for a record fee of £1.7 million ($2.3million) by the Rising Pune Supergiants.
He repaid their investment handsomely by being the player of the tournament. A big-money new television deal could see figures rise even higher at the player auction later this month, because teams have a salary cap that has risen by 20 percent.
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