IPL 2017, Match 39, RPS v GL: CT Player of the Match - Ben Stokes

He might have been the villain at the Eden Gardens for leaking 24 runs in the all-important final over, and in turn, a second T20 World Cup for England. Labour Day, however, was a redemption of sorts for Rising Pune Supergiant’s million dollar all-rounder Ben Stokes.

Chasing 162, a moderate total in modern day T20 cricket, RPS got off to the worst possible starts. The Gujarat Lions were right back in the contest. Ajinkya Rahane and Steve Smith, two of the biggest names in the Supergiant squad, were removed in the very first over. The crowd at the MCA Stadium was in shock when the home team were reduced to 10/3 halfway through the second over. That’s when Ben Stokes happened.

The Big Ben strikes

Probably the two most common words uttered by all cricket fanatics prior to the IPL auctions would have been ‘Ben’ and ‘Stokes’. Every team wanted him. He was a sensation months before the 10th edition of the grandiose tournament was even underway.

The Ritz Carlton Hotel witnessed a bout of fierce bidding for the English all-rounder. Eventually, the Rising Pune Supergiant had acquired Stokes’ services for a whopping 14.5 crore, a record price for an overseas player. Another star was added to the star-studded event that is the IPL.

Big innings due

Nevertheless, this man was yet to make an impression in the Supergiant setup. Not to take away any of his success with the ball – the Supergiant has had a marked difference in their bowling performance when Stokes has been in the side – but his batting prowess was locked so far. He fittingly chose Maharashtra Divas to power RPS to one of their most memorable victories with a stellar hundred.

Right from the word go

Ben Stokes came in to bat in the second over when his side was reeling at 10/3. He found his groove right away and had no qualms hitting the ball with sheer power. Stokes was finally breaking out of his shell which, thus far, restricted him from playing that big knock we all wanted to see. It wasn’t entirely risk free cricket, but he brought up his fifty off 38 balls. At the other end, as MS Dhoni struggled to get going. The asking rate ballooned. Stokes though pricked that balloon with the bat.

The final stretch

Dhoni holed out to long off, much to the delight of Basil Thampi who had finally got his man. Perhaps, that was the match as well the Gujarat Lions might have thought. But no, Stokes had the last word. It boiled down to 44 off 23 deliveries with RPS heavily depending on Stokes and new man Dan Christian.

The left-hander then exploded. He smashed two flat sixes off the game’s penultimate over bowled by Thampi. He didn’t middle the first one, but since it was just brute power on display, the ball sailed over the ropes. The second six he connected, and how.

Thampi bowled a slower delivery, but Stokes managed to manufacture all the pace as he flat-batted it straight of long-off. RPS required 8 of the last. Stokes, however, was suffering from severe cramps, as he collapsed at the non-striker’s end. Meanwhile, he had also moved to 98.

Hundred for Stokes

He couldn’t have started the final over any better. Not only did he simplify the equation to 4 off 5, but he also raised his maiden T20 hundred in style. James Faulkner offered an overpitched delivery outside off and Stokes creamed it through the covers. He had scripted his hundred perfectly. Dan Christian bludgeoned a six over square leg to seal the win. The man who hobbled his way out of the field had done it for Pune single-handedly.

Ben Stokes let out a big roar and swept his bat on the floor just as he did when he brought up his century, and why not. He came in when his side was under enormous pressure. He then stitched a crucial 76-run partnership with Dhoni which stabilised the Pune innings. To top it off, he not only got to a maiden T20 hundred, but he did so in a winning cause. Stokes finished on an unbeaten 103 off just 63 balls.

It was a display of absolute brilliance from the Englishman. The way he paced his innings, the balls he picked to hit, and the composure he maintained at the crease was absolutely remarkable. Stokes had finally arrived in the Indian Premier League ladies and gentlemen!