It’s Stokes v Braithwaite

Stokes would be hoping to come out all guns blazing against a rather formidable Daredevils attack, which has Brathwaite in its ranks

When the Indian Premier League (IPL) action gets underway at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Tuesday, all eyes will be on two men — Ben Stokes and Carlos Brathwaite.

Stokes, who is making his IPL debut this time, was bought in the auction for a whopping Rs 14.5 crore by Rising Pune Supergiant. It did raise a few eyebrows then. But the Englishman has made it a point to please the Pune fans.

So, in its home game, Stokes would be hoping to come out all guns blazing against a rather formidable Daredevils attack, which has Brathwaite in its ranks.

Known for his big-hitting, Brathwaite shot to fame after he guided the West Indies to victory in last year’s World T20. And, the Caribbean big-hitter would be hoping to go on a rampage in the IPL too, and that too against a star-studded Pune.

Four overs each in two matches, one rapid-fire half-century from Stokes proves that the England all-rounder is ready to fire. Braithwaite is the quieter one with bat and ball so far the tournament, with two overs by him costing 29 runs and scoring just one run from five deliveries faced at number seven for the Daredevils.

But then, Tuesday could belong to either of them!