IPL 2019: Ben Stokes bids adieu to Royals with an emotional speech for the teammates

Rajasthan Royals said farewell to two of its English foreign players as all-rounders Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes returned to England after their match against Kolkata Knight Riders in Eden Gardens. Jofra Archer ended his IPL 2019 campaign on a high by hitting a four and a six in his 27* to take RR to an improbable win over the opposition.

Stokes, on the other hand, has now had two back-to-back lacklustre IPL seasons. He had made 196 runs and took 8 wickets in 13 matches in the IPL 2018 when RR made it into the playoffs. But the performance became worse, as he managed just 123 runs and 6 wickets in 9 matches in this season. This performance is far removed from his IPL 2017 performance for Rising Pune Supergiants, for whom he made 316 runs in just 12 matches and picked 12 wickets, helping them make it into the finals.

Stokes leaves Rajasthan Team with an emotional message

Ben Stokes has been named in the England squad for both the ICC World Cup 2019 and for the upcoming five-match ODI series against Pakistan, along with Jofra Archer and their stint came to an end on Thursday, the duo flew back on Friday morning to join the English squad for the pre-World Cup camp.

Though Stokes’ form was patchy at best, RR will miss his services in their upcoming matches as they starve to make a final dash towards the final four finish. Currently, Royals are on the seventh spot with 4 wins from 11 matches and 8 points. “I think everybody would want to be consistent, but you take it as it comes. Everyone wants to go out and do their best every time, but sometimes it doesn’t come off and you just wipe out that part. Also, if you do well, you can’t live off that,” Stokes was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

Stokes was highly emotional during the celebration of win over KKR and in the dressing room, made a heartfelt speech, which was shared by Rajasthan Royals on their official Twitter account. They posted,  “After the England team and Durham, Rajasthan Royals is a team I hold dear to my heart.” @benstokes38 signed off with an emotional speech. Best of luck, Ben! #HallaBol”

"After the England team and Durham, Rajasthan Royals is a team I hold dear to my heart." 💗@benstokes38 signed off with an emotional speech. Best of luck, Ben! 🙌🏾 #HallaBol pic.twitter.com/86VI0XEopN

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) April 26, 2019

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