NEW DELHI: England star Ben Stokes has opted out of next year’s Indian Premier League to manage his “workload and fitness”, his franchise Chennai Super Kings said Thursday.

Stokes was bought by Chennai Super Kings for 162 million rupees ($1.96 million) ahead of this year’s auction before the team went on to win a record-equalling fifth IPL title.

The England Test captain played only as a batsman in the recent ODI World Cup and revealed he will undergo knee surgery after the tournament to be fit for the Test series in India in January.

“The Chennai Super Kings management is supportive of Ben in his decision to manage his workload with England playing a five-Test series in India before the IPL and then the T20 World Cup in June 2024,” Chennai said in a statement.

CSK have still not released Stokes, who played just two matches last season and scored 15 runs, ahead of the auction next month.

Stokes scored 304 runs in the World Cup to be among England’s better performers as the defending champions made an early exit and finished seventh in the group table.

The IPL remains the most popular and lucrative Twenty20 league in the world.