Tristan Stubbs marries destruction with consistency to lend wings to DC

Tristan Stubbs - the finisher is someone Delhi Capitals (DC) wanted for a long time to provide a boost to them in the death overs. From being a backup batter, the Protea batter redefined himself to be a permanent middle-order batter for the Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season.

In 14 innings, Stubbs amassed 378 runs at an average of 54 and a strike rate of 190.91, with three fifties. His best knock came against Mumbai Indians, where Stubbs smashed 71* off just 25 balls. He is the second-highest run-scorer for DC after skipper Rishabh Pant (446). Interestingly, he slammed more sixes (26) than fours (24).

In the last two seasons, Stubbs could feature in only four games for Mumbai, thus failing to prove his abilities in the world's biggest T20 league.

Certainly, Stubbs wouldn't have got enough opportunities this season, with the presence of Harry Brook, who DC bought for a hefty price tag of INR 4 crore. However, due to the death of his grandmother, Brook withdrew from the season.

The absence of Brook turned out to be a blessing for Stubbs, who made a strong case for this retention and also increase his stock ahead of next year's mega auction.

In the final league game against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), the 23-year-old made good use of the promotion to No. 5 and remained unbeaten on 57* off 25 balls, with three fours and four maximums. The innings had it all, with the right-hander scoring runs in V, or being cheeky to outfox the bowlers.

It was a classical lofted shot over the long-off region from Stubbs to bring his delightful fifty. His knock boosted DC to 208, and eventually helped them to win by 19 runs.

"I always feel I can give myself a bit of time and then can catch up later on," Stubbs told the broadcasters after his innings against LSG. "Especially if you get one or two away and the bowler feels some pressure, then you've got a lot of momentum."

The key focal point of Stubbs' success is his fearless attitude, which has helped him make an immediate impression, along with consistency. The youngster has been sensational with his ability to garner boundaries with a newly added skill in his armory, the reverse scoops.

In particular, Stubbs tormented the Mumbai Indians left-arm pacer, Luke Wood, earlier in the season and take out 26 runs in an over. Anything pitched full was sent to the third-man region for a boundary, while the short balls were sent to the deep mid-wicket. Overall, Stubbs displayed his awareness of game situation, and punched above his weight in the IPL 2024.

Stubbs slammed 252 runs off just 96 balls in the death overs (16-20) at a prolific strike rate of 262.50, which is the highest for any player in this IPL season (minimum 50 balls faced).

Most importantly, the Protea batter used the phase of 18-20 overs to counter-punch the opposition with his ball-striking abilities to smoke 173 runs off 54 balls. Interesingly, only two of them were dot balls, which depict the brilliance of Stubbs to continue churning out runs for the franchise.

Here are Stubbs' stats from 18-20 overs in IPL 2024:

Runs	Balls	Strike-rate	4s/6s	Dots	Dismissals
173	54	320.4	13/15	2	1

In this phase, Stubbs' strike rate shoots up to 320, which is simply unbelievable along with his consistent contributions for the franchise.

When talked about his strike rates, Stubbs was imperious against the pacers. Moreover, the right-handed batter held an astounding average of 78 against them, primarily due to his habit of playing in fast-paced pitches at home.

Here are Stubbs' stats against spinners and pacers in IPL 2024:

Bowling Type	Runs	Balls	Strike-rate	Average	Dots	4s/6s	Dismissals
Pace	234	118	198.3	78	23	18/15	3
Spin	144	80	180	48	19	06/11	3

Certainly, he has given a strong testament to his talent and a headache to the Capitals franchise, for retaining his services or letting him go to another team.

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What's next for Tristan Stubbs?

The batting powerhouse received the ticket to the 2024 T20 World Cup owing to his superb performances in the SA20 and the Indian Premier League. Tristan Stubbs slammed 301 runs at a strike rate of 168.15 for the champions, Sunrisers Eastern Cape. In fact, he mustered 56* off 30 balls in the final, which helped them post 204 and secure a victory by 89 runs.

Last month, Stubbs marked his attendance in the 15-member Proteas squad for the big-ticket event. Having developed a reputation as a consistent six-hitter, he will be gauranteed a place in South Africa's XI.

Stubbs will form a deadly combination with Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller in the middle-order to provide a boost to South Africa in the death overs.

As far as his T20I records are concerned, the youngster has scored 239 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 155.19.

Stubbs will be heading to the showpiece event in the best form of his life, and it will be interesting to see if he can translate it into the international circuit.