The IPL Would Have Been Great For Ben Stokes’ Development As A Cricketer, Kevin Pietersen
May 14, 2017 at 6:33 PM
Former England captain Kevin Pietersen has conceded that all-rounder Ben Stokes must have undergone good development as a player after a “brilliant” debut season in the Indian Premier League.
Stokes was one of the most exciting names in this season’s IPL after he was bought for a hefty price tag of 14.5 crores by the Rising Pune Supergiant. He repaid the trust shown by the franchise by playing a central role in taking his team to the playoffs of the tournament.
“This would have been great for his development as a cricket, let’s not forget,” Pietersen said.
The exorbitant price tag which Stokes fetched at the auctions made him the most expensive player this season and the most expensive foreign name in the history of the league. He will leave his franchise after the final league against Kings XI Punjab to join England ahead of the Champions Trophy.
Similarly, almost the entire lot of foreign names who played this season will also be unavailable due to the same reason. Pietersen felt that the “free spirit” Stokes just went in and enjoyed his time.
“With him leaving this evening to come back for an England camp, he’ll want to finish well,” Pietersen said.
“He has had the most brilliant campaign. I think everybody knew he was going to play well. He went for a big number but the big number didn’t affect him.
“He’s just a free spirit. He goes out there and he’s just enjoyed the occasion.
Pietersen also tried to differentiate the experience factor with the money factor. Criticism related to the participation in the cash-rich IPL has always surfaced from time to time. However, Pietersen feels that often the ‘learning’ factor is overlooked by many.
“Cash is one thing, and I know in this country they like to talk cash, cash, cash with IPL, but for his development – have a look at the tweet that Jos Buttler put out last night, how much he loved the experience – playing with those players, coached by Mahela Jayawardene.
“It’s just incredible for your learning and your development as a player to play in these conditions.”
“I promise you, you can learn a heck of a lot from playing in India,” he said.
“The one thing that all international players learn from is the ability to go to India, to have success in India, to have friends in India, which makes [it easier] travelling the sub-continent – which are big, big tours because the BCCI is where the money is at.”
Kevin Pietersen skipped this season as a player but made his presence felt as a commentator. The right-hander holds the distinction of being the most successful English batsmen in the history of the IPL, having played for different franchise namely Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Daredevils and Rising Pune Supergiant.