PRESSURE COOKER FOR STOKES
BEN STOKES has insisted he will fulfil his Indian Premier League commitments despite ongoing issues with his troublesome left knee. And the whole of English cricket will be crossing their fingers and hoping for the best as Stokes jets off to play for Chennai in the IPL.
After going for £1.6million in the auction for this year’s competition, expectation will be sky-high on India’s east coast.
Dimi Mascarenhas, the first English player to be snapped up by an IPL franchise back in 2008, believes Stokes will be one of the tournament’s major drawcards when it kicks off at the end of this month but warns the heat will be on the England captain.
“Everyone will want to see him play but when you’re one of the IPL’S major players, that brings a huge amount of pressure,” says Mascarenhas (below), who played for the Rajasthan Royals under the captaincy of Shanewarne between 2008 and 2010.
“It’s not just pressure on the pitch, there are also expectation levels off the pitch too.
“The marketing operation in Chennai will be rubbing their hands at the prospect of having Ben Stokes promoting their teams.
“The workload when you’re someone like him is huge. He’s obviously experienced that before and has played so much cricket around the world that he’ll know how to deal with it.
“But the IPL is a unique event and can take its toll.”
Stokes will be joined in the IPL by former England captain Joe
Root, who has signed for
Mascarenhas’ former franchise.
It will be
Root’s first time in the
IPL and
Mascarenhas is sure he will love everything the tournament has to offer.
“He has achieved so much with England but this will still be the experience of a lifetime for him,” he said. “He’ll bring so much to the Royals, not just with the bat but with his knowledge of the game. Off the pitch he can be a huge influence.”
‘The marketing operation in Chennai will be rubbing their hands at the prospect of having Ben Stokes promoting their teams’