Which England player starred in Week 5 of IPL 10? Tweet us @SkyCricket
Thursday 11 May 2017 21:16, UK
And then there were two...
Well, technically five. England's IPL contingent was significantly depleted for week five of IPL 10 with the departures of Eoin Morgan, Jason Roy and Sam Billings for the England v Ireland ODI series.
And while Jos Buttler joined Chris Jordan and Tymal Mills in a spot of bench-warming for their franchises, we bring you news of England's big two allrounders...
Ben Stokes, Rising Pune Supergiant: Batting - Inns 2, Runs 53, Best 39, Ave 26.50. Bowling - 8-0-54-4, Best 3-30, Ave 13.50
Stokes' efforts certainly weren't as eye-catching as in week four when dazzling with that maiden T20 ton, but he continues to repay not only the faith shown in him, but the that £1.7 million price tag as well, by delivering in the key moments of games. Must win games too, with his Supergiant side winning both of their week five outings to see them all but qualified for the playoffs.
The first success saw Stokes get the better of his England counterpart Chris Woakes in a four-wicket win over the Kolkata Knight Riders. Sadly, the personal battle was limited to just a solitary Woakes to Stokes delivery, which the left-hander whipped to long leg for a single - one of only 14 runs he managed from 15 deliveries.
It's with the ball where Stokes did his damage - an economical four-over spell of 1-24 in that triumph over KKR followed by a truly match-winning 3-30 to see off Sunrisers Hyderabad. Defending only a modest 149-run target - Stokes top-scoring with 39 off 25 balls - the Durham allrounder dismissed Shikhar Dhawan and Kane Williamson in the same over, before then returning to take the key wicket of captain David Warner (40 off 34 balls).
Speaking to Sky Sports' man in India, Mark Butcher, Stokes said it's his improvements as a bowler that have really stood out during his IPL experience: "One of the biggest things I will be able to take away from here is working with a T20 bowling coach, Eric Simons. He has really helped me - my consistency in hitting the right areas is probably as good as it has ever been, which hopefully I'll be able to take back with me into the Champions Trophy." We hope you can too, Ben.
VERDICT: 8/10
Chris Woakes, Kolkata Knight Riders: Bowling - 12-0-77-6, Best 3-18, Ave 12.83. Batting - Inns 2, Runs 9, Best 8no, Ave 9
Up to joint-third in the leading wicket-taker's table, Woakes continues to vary his pace to great effect and now has an impressive 17 scalps.
The seamer returned hugely impressive figures of 3-18 from his four overs in defeat to Pune, including bowling both skipper Steve Smith and Manoj Tiwary. His third wicket was that of Rahul Tripathi, but sadly not before he had struck a sensational 93 off 52 balls to see his Supergiant side successfully chase down their 156-run target.
Woakes again played second fiddle in his second IPL outing of week five, but was a far happier spectator this time around as Sunil Narine smashed a joint-record fastest fifty in IPL history - a 15-ball effort containing six fours and four sixes - as Kolkata made light work of their pursuit of Royal Challengers Bangalore's 159, Woakes having taken a modest 1-39 from his four overs.
He was back to his frugal best in the somewhat surprising 14-run defeat against Kings XI, returning 2-20 off his four overs - bowling Shaun Marsh with a beauty and forcing Swapnil Singh to drag on after being introduced into the attack after the powerplay - and taking a fine catch in the deep to remove the dangerous Glenn Maxwell.
Walking to the wicket with 29 runs needed off 11 balls, the odds were against Woakes pulling off a spectacular comeback win with partner Colin de Grandhomme and - despite a leg-side six - his potency with the bat remains somewhat underwhelming.
VERDICT: 8/10
Live coverage of Indian Premier League 10 continues with Gujarat Lions versus Delhi Daredevils, live on Sky Sports 3 from 3pm on Wednesday.
