Ben Stokes, writing in his column for British daily Daily Mirror, revealed that it was his ailing father who encouraged him to play in the IPL.
“He told me I have a duty to do,” wrote Stokes.
He added that the decision to fly to the UAE was taken after discussions with his family members.
“We all gave it a lot of thought and came to the decision that now sees me focusing on the game again,” he wrote.
Stokes could not have joined Royals at a better time. After winning its first two matches, the team has recorded a hat-trick of defeats.