IPL: Will Stokes play this season? RR coach opens up

RR coach Andrew McDonald clears the air on Stokes' absence.

"Thoughts with the Stokes' family. It's a difficult scenario, we're giving him as much time as he needs, and connecting with him as best we can," he told ESPNcricinfo.

"We're not sure where Stokesy's at right now, but once it has played out, then we can make our decisions. I don't want to second-guess."

England all-rounder Stokes hasn't competed in competitive cricket since August.

Previously, he emerged as the leading run-scorer of Windies Test series.

Ahead of the second Test against Pakistan, he travelled to New Zealand, where his parents reside presently.

Stokes' father Ged, a former New Zealand rugby league international, was admitted to hospital in Johannesburg, two days before Christmas last year with a serious illness.

McDonald added the team has variety in the batting segment.

"We've added some depth in terms of our left-hand batting, in particular in (Anuj) Rawat and (Yashashvi) Jaiswal among the home-grown players, so we think we've got some options there" he added.

"The way we set up at the auction, we feel we can structure our side up to three or four different ways."

Stokes might have not performed as effectively in the cash-rich league, but his presence makes the team balanced strong on paper.

His recent display in international cricket speaks volumes about his stature.

However, the Royals have plenty of options this time to fill in for Stokes.

South African star David Miller is one such batsman who could replace Stokes in the batting line-up.

The RR coach highlighted the credentials of Miller, who was bought by the franchise for Rs. 75 lakh at the auction.

"He was the first overseas player to land, which is great because you don't get access to overseas guys until 10 days out," he stated.

"He's been fantastic for the group and creating energy around the group. His fielding is second to none."