Ben Stokes has been tremendously expensive for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2018

English all-rounder Ben Stokes lived up to his lofty price tag last year, and thus going under the hammer in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 he was once again the most expensive player sold in the auction. However, it cost the Rajasthan Royals US$10,000 for every run he managed this year, making him a luxury even by the opulent league’s standards.

Stokes, who is currently under pressure over a looming court case for a street fight, was voted the IPL’s Most Valuable Player last year and was the top foreign signing for 2018 with a $1.96 million deal. But he left India this week having scored just 196 runs in 13 games, to go with eight wickets claimed at 38 runs apiece

The Royals have badly missed the explosive batting and bowling that made Stokes one of the world’s leading allrounders. Many commentators believe Stokes’ off-field troubles have blunted his performance on the pitch.

Former Kiwi international, Scott Styris told AFP, “Ben Stokes hasn’t been that aggressive in-your-face cricketer in this tournament due to what’s happened. And part of that reason I think is because he has to keep a low profile. That’s not his personality.”

Styris added, “He needs to be that Ben Stokes, the character who dominates the game. He was the number one all-rounder in the world, he was (IPL) MVP.”

It was a different Englishman who stole the show

The 26-year-old was picked up for $2.16 million by the Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017 and lived up to his reputation by hitting 316 runs and taking 12 wickets in 12 matches. It earned him a big reputation in India, which is why the Royals paid Rs 12.5 crore for the star Englishman.

However, he looked like a pale shadow of his former self and it was another Englishman, Jos Buttler, who stole the show for the Royals this year. Buttler’s show was in stark contrast with that of Stokes, as he hit 548 runs in 13 games at a strike-rate of 155.4.

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