Dubai, Oct 4 (IANS): England all-rounder Ben Stokes has reached the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season. He will be joining the Rajasthan Royals after missing the initial couple of weeks of the tournament in order to be with his family in New Zealand. The 29-year-old will, however, first have to undergo six days of quarantine as per the Covid-19 protocols for IPL 2020.

"Dubai is hot," said Stokes in one of the Instagram stories he put after his arrival on Sunday.

In August, Stokes had pulled out of the Pakistan Test series midway in order to be with his family in Christchurch after his father was diagnosed with cancer.

Stokes' arrival in the UAE is a big boost for the Rajasthan Royals as it would add more strength to their batting unit, which is currently heavily dependent on Sanju Samson and Steve Smith. His presence in the team will also provide strength to their bowling unit.

Rajasthan Royals have won two out of the four games they have played so far and are currently placed at the sixth spot in the points table. They will next be facing Mumbai Indians at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.