England Watch, IPL Week 2: Ben Stokes 'proving his worth'
Which England player starred in Week 2 of IPL 10? Tweet us @SkyCricket
Thursday 20 April 2017 17:34, UK
Which England player has had the biggest impact on IPL 10 in week two - and who got a game due to a lost kitbag?
How are the England eight in the tournament faring?
Here's our week two verdict…
Sam Billings, Delhi Daredevils: Inns 2, Runs 76, Best 55, Ave 38.00
Easily the owner of the most impressive batting display from the England boys in week two, a 36-ball fifty - his second in the IPL - against Kings XI. He looked in good form again against Kolkata too, though didn't kick on this time, while his personal battle with Chris Woakes proved to be a bit of a damp squib - three singles from three balls. VERDICT: 7/10
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Jason Roy, Gujarat Lions: Inns 1, Runs 14, Best 14no, Ave n/a
A frustrating week for Roy, if not a bizarre one. Dropped for the game against Pune after failing to cash in on a couple of starts in week one, he was brought back in against Mumbai courtesy of Aaron Finch's missing kitbag. Even more surprising was Roy's demotion down to No 6 in the order for the game - 14 runs (including a six off Lasith Malinga) off seven balls later, he was dropped once more. VERDICT: 4/10
Eoin Morgan, Kings XI Punjab: Inns 2, Runs 35, Best 22, Ave 17.50
After bench-warming for their first three games, Morgan got his first go of IPL 10. Unfortunately for him, though no fault of his own, his arrival coincided with Kings XI's two most dismal batting displays of the tournament - Manan Vohra's imperious 95 against the Sunrisers apart - and Morgan's contributions were instantly forgettable. VERDICT: 5/10
Chris Woakes, Kolkata Knight Riders: Bowling: 11/0/110/5, Best 2-30, Ave 22.00. Batting: Inns 2, Runs 4, Best 3, Ave 4.00
Plenty of wickets for Woakes, but earned expensively - his economy rate of 9.94 across the first two weeks is second only to Umesh Yadav's 10.27 in the Knight Riders squad. Focusing on the positives, he blasted out the Kings XI lower order and took the crucial wicket of Yuvraj Singh in the win over Sunrisers. With the bat though he nearly cost Kolkata a third win in a row when, with nine runs needed to beat Delhi, he used up a dot ball and then fell to the next. VERDICT: 6/10
Jos Buttler, Mumbai Indians: Inns 3, Runs 42, Best 26, Ave 14.00
Buttler's frustrating IPL continues. While he has shown glimpses of some fine form bubbling away under the surface - like his two tonked sixes in his 26 against Gujarat - he is still searching for a more meaningful contribution. Could a move to a more familiar spot down the order help? VERDICT: 5/10
Ben Stokes, Rising Pune Supergiant: Inns 2, Runs 27, Best 25, Ave 12.50. Bowling: 7/0/36/3, Best 3-18, Ave 12.00
The star of the show! Pune will be feeling a lot better now about their £1.7m outlay after Stokes' stunning effort with the ball against RCB. Stokes took 3-18 in his four overs, including the key wicket of Virat Kohli and the always enjoyable scalp of Shane Watson, as Pune successfully defended 161 - the lowest match-winning total at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in the IPL. While Stokes failed with the bat in that game, he did hit Gujarat's Ravindra Jadeja for a sweetly-struck six in his other 25-run outing. "It just shows what he is capable of achieving on the world stage," England assistant coach Paul Farbrace's assessment. VERDICT: 8/10
Tymal Mills, Royal Challengers Bangalore: 3.5/0/36/0, Best 0-36, Ave n/a
A quiet week for Mills, who was sadly denied the opportunity to bowl at Buttler in his only appearance - his England team-mate already out for two by the time he came on. That Buttler wicket and a Samuel Badree hat-trick had Mumbai 7-4 chasing 143, perfect for the pace of Mills to then blow away the lower order? Not so, as Kieron Pollard smashed 70 to see his side to victory. Illness ruled Mills out against Pune, while Adam Milne's 4-27 in his place could sadly see him sidelined a little while longer. VERDICT: 4/10
Chris Jordan, Sunrisers Hyderabad: not picked, three times
It's been a tough start to Jordan's Sunrisers stint - now not picked in any game over the first two weeks of IPL 10. But it's not surprising really, considering he is competing for a place in the strongest attack in the tournament. Testament to that, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Afghanistan legspinner Rashid Khan are the leading wicket-takers with 15 and nine strikes respectively. VERDICT: n/a
Live coverage of IPL 10 continues on Sky Sports. Check out the full schedule here.