In the process the England all-rounder upstaged team-mates Steve Smith, the Australia captain, and India legend Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Morgan is back from his own IPL stint with the Kings XI Punjab to captain England in two ODIs against Ireland in Bristol on Friday and at Lord’s on Sunday.
Stokes, along with Chris Woakes and Jos Buttler, will miss those matches to continue playing in the IPL.
But when he returns later this month, Morgan believes England will reap the benefits of the confidence their star player has gained from his debut season in the Indian T20 tournament.
“It was incredible, absolutely incredible,” Morgan said of Stokes’ innings.
“You look at why guys go and play in tournaments like this. It’s actually so they can produce performances like Ben’s, and sit in the same team as an Australian captain and an Indian legend – and outperform them.
“It builds a huge amount of confidence, and I think it’s a huge stepping block for us as England cricketers.
The main focus of the summer, well the first half of it anyway, will be England’s attempts to win a first-ever major global 50-over title when they host the Champions Trophy next month.
(The Independent)
