IPL 2018: Eoin Morgan praises Ben Stokes for paving the way for English cricketers in the league

Ben Stokes has effortlessly been among the greatest all-rounders England have ever produced. Apart from smashing the ball a country mile, he can also make the leather talk to a significant extent. Following sterling performances for the national team, the Rising Pune Supergiant forked out a mammoth INR 14.5 crore for the Christchurch-born cricketer.

He justified his selection by emerging as the Player of the Tournament in the tenth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Thereafter, he got involved in police investigations owing to some unwanted incidents, however, was later cleared to play. Soon after, he became the highest grosser in the auction of the IPL for the second successive occasion when Rajasthan Royals picked him up for INR 11 crores.

Ben Stokes breaking barriers

Meanwhile, Eoin Morgan, the English batsman is delighted with the way, Stokes has performed in the league. The right-handed batsman iterated Stokes’ selection in the T20 event as a major breakthrough for English cricketers. He also mentioned that Stokes’ all-round show must also have cleared all doubts surrounding the performance of English cricketers in the cash-rich extravaganza.

“One of the big things that worked in our favour last year was Stokes going for a significant amount of money and proving he was worth that and more. It broke down barriers. If anyone in Indian cricket had doubts about [English players] because of previous performances then last year would certainly have had a knock-on effect” Morgan was quoted as saying by Sky Sports Cricket.

“It is a huge compliment to the way our individuals and the team have done for the last few years [that so many players are in the IPL]. We said we needed to play in more high-profile T20 tournaments, be exposed to high-pressure situations and the direction came from [England director of cricket] Andrew Strauss.” the 27-years-old added.

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Here is the updated squad of the Rajasthan Royals

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