RPS make a statement, show intent with big buy
NEW DELHI: Rising Pune Supergiants made a massive statement about their ambitions in the IPL on Monday after splashing a record ~ 14.5 crore for England all-rounder Ben Stokes
The IPL auction in Bengaluru was about teams plugging holes, having already retained a big chunk of their squad, but it was clear who the biggest name in the mix was ahead of the auctions.
Ben Stokes, an impact allrounder, who has made giant strides in the last two seasons, sparked a bidding frenzy before Rising Pune Sunrisers bought him, pouring out all but ~ 3 crore of their total available purse.
NEW ZEAL
It showed Rising Pune Supergiants are ready to go all out, the snaring of Stokes coming a day after announcing that MS Dhoni will no longer be the skipper and that Steve Smith will take charge. The franchise owners made it clear that performance was the criteria.
The drastic steps come after RPS came in a poor seventh in IPL 2016, barely managing to avoid finishing last in the eightteam competition last year.
LIKELY TO RETURN SOON
Rising Pune Supergiants paid the massive sum despite knowing that Stokes will not be available for the entire season and is likely to return home in the first week of May to play in internationals in the build-up to the ICC Champions Trophy.
Although Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen have grabbed headlines in the IPL, England players have been reluctant to play in the marquee Twenty20 franchise league. However, the arrival of Eoin Morgan, has also played a part.
Jos Buttler having a satisfying season with Mumbai Indians has also had a big role to play in Stokes getting interested in playing in the IPL.
“I just want to get picked up. That is the main thing about it. I asked Jos (Buttler) how it was and he said it is ‘gun’, which is what we say for awesome. Since he came back from the IPL – you can tell from the way he has played, he has gone to another level in terms of hitting, his consistency and where he can hit the ball,” Stokes was quoted as saying in the English media.