Stokes promises big show after rich haul

BIG BEN CHIMES England allrounder, bought for ~14.5 crore, brushes aside worries that he may have to leave the IPL midway due to international commitments

NEW DELHI: Ben Stokes stole the show in this year’s IPL auction as he was snapped up for a record sum of ~14.5 crore by Rising Pune Supergiants. This sum made Stokes the most expensive international buy in the history of the league while it made him the second most expensive player to be purchased behind Yuvraj Singh, who was snapped up for ~16 crore by Delhi Daredevils in 2015.

It has been a phenomenal rise for Stokes, who has impressed with his aggressive batting and attacking bowling. In the recent series against India, he was the only player from the England team to impress with both bat and ball in all formats.

This price confirmed Stokes’ potential and he will now be part of the team that features former India skipper MS Dhoni, Australian skipper Steven Smith and South African captain Faf du Plessis.

AN EXPERIENCE

In a Facebook Live conducted on Monday evening on his official page, Stokes said that the 2017 IPL will be a different experience.

“I am looking forward to playing with MS Dhoni and Steven Smith. It will be great to share the dressing room with both these players. Dhoni is one of the greatest in the world while I have had some heated moments with Smith. However, he is an amazing player,” Stokes said.

Heading into the auction, there were some concerns whether teams would pursue players from England as they may have to leave the tournament early in order to prepare for the Champions Trophy which will be held in June.

However, Stokes stated that he will not miss many games in the IPL. “I might miss only the last group game. I will play most of it. I will probably play the full season. I am looking forward to playing plenty of T20 cricket, something we don’t get to do as England players,” Stokes stated.