England Test captain Ben Stokes faces a week on the sidelines after suffering an injury setback, says his Indian Premier League coach Stephen Fleming.
Stokes has played just two of six matches for Chennai Super Kings since the start of the IPL season in March.
The 31-year-old all-rounder had a pain-relieving injection in his knee before flying out to India.
“He had another little setback yesterday, so he’s probably a few days or a week away at least,” said Fleming.
There is no suggestion Wisden’s newly crowned leading cricketer in the world has suffered further issues with his long-standing knee problem.
A toe injury saw him miss recent games and while the Chennai coach did not elaborate on the latest injury, reports in India say he has a heel problem.
Stokes was bought by Chennai for $1.98m (£1.6m) in the IPL auction in December and is expected to lead the England Test team in this summer’s home Ashes series, which starts in June.
Fleming, speaking after Chennai’s seven-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad, said: “This is a challenge. Our priority is getting Ben fit and ready to play, that’s what we are concentrating on. At the moment, he’s not quite ready.”
Four-time champions Chennai face Kolkata Knight Riders in their next match on Sunday.
