Abu Dhabi – A royal century from Ben Stokes saw Rajasthan home in their latest IPL encounter. Chasing 196 against Mumbai Indians Ben’s 107no helped the Royals to an impressive 8 wicket win.
Ben’s start to this season’s IPL has been somewhat low key. In 5 innings he has passed 40 on just one occasion. All this changed vs. the Indians.
Expert opinion has questioned whether the Royals are best served with Ben opening the batting. Facing one of the best bowling units in the IPL, he appears to have answered that particular question. Combining authentic shots and hard-hitting, Ben reached his century with a commanding pull, before dedicating this majestic innings to his father. In simple numbers, Ben took 60 balls to hit 107no (3 sixes, 14 fours) with an SR of 178.30.
This was Ben’s highest score in the IPL bettering his previous best of 103no for Rising Pune Supergiant back in 2017. His onslaught on the Indians bowlers also brought up 2500 runs in T20 cricket.
Surprisingly, Ben cleared the ropes for the first time in the current renewal of the IPL from a slog-sweep off Rahul Chahar for six.
With the assistance of Sanju Samson (54no), Ben added 152 for the third wicket. This destructive partnership saw the Royals over the line in the nineteenth over, giving them their fifth IPL victory
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