Stokes the driving force behind RPS strong campaign
Ben Stokes had set the IPL 2017 auction on fire when he was snapped up for a record Rs 14.5 crore by Rising Pune Supergiant. With this astronomical sum, the expectations to deliver something special was understandably high.
Rising Pune Supergiant are just one win away from the playoffs, a far cry from the debut edition when they narrowly escaped getting the wooden spoon. The prime factor behind their resurgence: Stokes. His performances have silenced people who have been critical of his high price.
Ahead of their clash against Delhi Daredevils at Ferozeshah Kotla on Friday, Rising Pune Supergiant will be aiming to seal a spot in the play-offs and continue the winning momentum brought in by Stokes’ brilliance.
Rising Pune Supergiant started the campaign in style when they defeated Mumbai Indians. However, they lost their next three games. After losing to Kings XI Punjab, they were thrashed by 97 runs against Delhi Daredevils thanks to Sanju Samson’s century. After losing for the third time against Gujarat Lions, it seemed that the ghosts of IPL 2016 were back to haunt them.
To make matters worse, Stokes had not performed with either bat and ball in the first four games. He took one wicket and scored 98 runs with one fifty. It seemed that Stokes’ high pricetag was proving to be costly for Rising Pune Supergiant.
Stokes leads Rising Pune Supergiant’s revival
Stokes led Rising Pune Supergiant’s recovery in the game against Royal Challengers Bangalore. The England all-rounder removed Virat Kohli to break RCB’s momentum and proceeded to take the wickets of Shane Watson and Adam Milne to give Pune Supergiant a 27-run win.
After his haul of 3/18 against RCB, Stokes followed up with another great performance against Mumbai Indians. He picked up two wickets in his first two overs, but conceded just seven runs in the 19th over to help Rising Pune Supergiant to a vital three-run win. His back-to-back Man of the Match awards had given Pune Supergiant the belief.
After missing two games due to a shoulder injury, Stokes returned in a crucial match against Gujarat Lions and stole the show in a grand way after his team were reduced to 42/4 in pursuit of 162. In an exhibition of power-hitting, Stokes blasted an unbeaten 103 off 85 balls to help Rising Pune Supergiant break the drought against Gujarat Lions.
Stokes’ contribution has helped Pune win four consecutive matches and it gives the team great momentum ahead of play-offs. For impact, the England all-rounder has not only silenced critics, but has become the driving force in RPS campaign.