What’s the story?
Reports have emerged that Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli has told the team management to target Ben Stokes at the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction on February 4. "He's (Stokes) a guy with great character, he is always fighting to win games for England. We have seen that from him in Test cricket and today he was really motivated to win the game for them,” Kohli had told reporters after Stokes’ match-winning performance in the Kolkata ODI.
Appreciating the England all-rounder’s commitment on the field, Kohli further added, "You could tell from his body language. The way he bowled, the way he batted and the way he was running in the end as well, while he was batting. I mean every side is pleased to have cricketers like that. And nowadays everyone does play with that mindset."
In case you didn’t know...
RCB released 10 players ahead of the 2017 auction. The 2016 IPL runners-up have, however, retained the core of the team. The team goes into the auction on February 4 with a purse amounting INR 12.80 crore.
Stokes, meanwhile, has made himself available for purchase at the IPL auction for the first time.
The heart of the matter
Kohli and Stokes were engaged in an altercation during the recently concluded India-England Test series. The English all-rounder had been reprimanded by the ICC for his heated exchange of words with the Indian skipper.
Putting that behind him, though, Stokes won the Man of the Match award for his all-round performance in the Kolkata ODI after which the Indian captain hailed the Englishman’s contributions.
What’s next?
Some big names are up for grabs in this season’s IPL auction. With the date of the auction approaching, franchises have already begun their research on which player best suits the team’s interests. The auction will be held on February 4 at Bengaluru.
Sportskeeda’s Take
Kohli has time and again admired opposition players for their competitiveness on the field. The Indian captain had previously appreciated Mohammad Amir for his vicious spell against India in the Asia Cup. The Delhi batsman had also lauded English teenager Haseeb Hameed for his gritty knock in the Mohali Test match.
The addition of a world-class all-rounder in Stokes to the RCB roster, which already has some remarkable names like Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Shane Watson, and Mitchell Starc, will make Kohli’s team the favourites for the tournament. The team will look to go one step further this time around and lift the IPL trophy for the first time.
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