English all-rounder and already one of the most talked about cricketers in the history of the sport in the country, Ben Stokes, came into IPL 2020 with his father severely unwell and joined the squad a little late after completing his Covid-19 quarantine and other formalities. However, it wasn’t the same Stokes who was paid a million and more dollars to be a part of the Rajasthan Royals franchise.
He looked a bit jaded and wasn’t at his best with either bat or ball and to make matters worse, RR had him batting at the top of the order, where he had never batted before. However, he came into his own on Oct 25 2020 when RR took on Mumbai Indians in Match 45 of IPL 2020 which was being played in Abu Dhabi, as the tournament had shifted to UAE, following safety protocols and bio-secure bubbles.
On this particular night, Mumbai Indians batted first and smashed 195/5 thanks to a good start from Ishan Kishan and a flurry of sixes from the bat of Hardik Pandya towards the latter half, scoring 60(21)* including 2 fours and 7 sixes. Rajasthan was a bit down and out all of IPL 2020 thus far and what was to follow would’ve please every Royal fan out there – a Stokesy special!
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Having not bowled in that game, his contribution with the bat was even more crucial and the target looked very steep indeed for Rajasthan, especially after they lost opener Robin Uthappa for only 13 and captain Steve Smith soon later for 11. Stokes took over control from 44/2 in the 5th over to ensuring RR got over the line, in what became one of the most delightful chases of the season in UAE!
His knock included 14 fours and 6 sixes and as the game went on, he just kept accelerating. What seemed to be an impossible chase was soon turned into a canter as Stokes and Samson remained unbeaten, later trying to match each other stroke for stroke. Eventually, Stokes finished on 107(60)* batting at a strike rate of nearly 180 and ending the game with an 8-wicket victory for Rajasthan, with all of 10 balls to spare as well.
Stokes took his time to settle into the tournament but when he did, he announced himself with a bang! He was well supported by Samson who got an unbeaten fifty as well, though the victory didn’t do much more than lift the spirits of the team. They were having a bad season and eventually, they ended at the bottom of the IPL 2020 points table. Stokes himself ended with 285 runs in 8 games, picking 2 wickets with the ball too.
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Coming back to that game, it was Stokes second entry into the list of all-time IPL centuries, also scoring a fabulous ton for the now defunct franchise Rising Pune Supergiant back in IPL 2017. There too, he played an instrumental role in winning his side the game with another unbeaten century – 103(63)*. Read all about that innings here. With this innings, he became the first player to get 2 IPL centuries in successful chases!
“It’s sort of bittersweet to be honest. Bit taken aback by why it’s taken me so long to get into the tournament for the team. To be honest the training I’ve had yesterday was the best I had throughout my time here, so I came into this with a bit of confidence”, said Stokes while collecting the Man of the Match award. For more updates on the top IPL centuries, make sure you stay tuned to ReadScoops.com…
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