New Delhi: England all-rounder Ben Stokes unarguably produced one of the best performances of the season, smashing his maiden Indian Premier League hundred in Rising Pune Supergiant's thrilling victory over Gujarat Lions on Monday.
En route to his 103 not out off 63 deliveries, Stokes fired as many as 6 sixes, the biggest of which came against Ravindra Jadeja – a huge 94 meter hit – right after sending one in the stands the previous delivery – an 89 meter hit – in the same over. (IPL 2017 - Full Coverage | Points Table)
Here's all 6 of Stokes sixes, especially those hit against Jadeja off successive deliveries:-
https://t.co/olGbadI47L #VIVOIPL via @ipl
— aratrick mondal (@crlmaratrick) May 2, 2017
- Sangwan to Stokes, SIX (Over 4.2)
- Jadeja to Stokes, SIX (Over 9.2)
- Jadeja to Stokes, SIX (Over 9.3)
- Smith to Stokes, SIX (Over 15.2)
- Basil Thampi to Stokes, SIX (Over 18.1)
- Basil Thampi to Stokes, SIX (Over 18.5)
RPS had made record-breaking investment in Ben Stokes, who seems to have paid dividends, with his performance yesterday.
Stokes -- whose $2.16 million contract broke the IPL signing record for a foreign player – was hailed by Supergiant skipper Steve Smith after the match.
"He`s done a terrific job for us. We paid a big amount to get him. We know he`s a quality player. (He) certainly earned his cash tonight," Supergiant captain Steve Smith said of their star performer after the win.
The left-handed batsman, who came into bat with Pune precariously placed at 10 for three, put on a 76-run fifth-wicket partnership with Mahendra Singh Dhoni who made 26.
Supergiant chased down their 162-run target with a ball to spare to keep in the top half of the league`s eight-team ranking.
Stokes, who has won three man-of-the-match awards in eight IPL matches this season, smashed seven fours and six sixes in front of a raucous home crowd.
(With AFP inputs)
