Super Stokes seals match-winning ton

The score: Gujarat Lions 161 (McCullum 45, Tahir 3-27, Unadkat 3-29) lost to Rising Pune Supergiant (Stokes 103*) by five wickets with one ball to spare

The match in a tweet: Super Stokes saves Pune. After a horror start England allrounder blasts his way to unbeaten match-winning century on one leg

The hero: When Ben Stokes went down with a shoulder injury last week, England feared the worst for their Champions Trophy ambitions. Those fears would have been erased in one sensational innings that single-handedly guided Pune to an important win. Having slipped to 3-10 in the first nine balls, Stokes set about the rebuild. A horror mix-up saw Rahul Tripathi run-out to leave the home side 4-42 in the sixth over, but from there it was pretty much one-way traffic. Stokes bludgeoned six sixes and seven fours in his knock. But unlike Warner just 24 hours previously, there was no leaping celebrations for the milestone...

The injury: After a week on the sidelines and in the sapping India humidity, it was perhaps to be expected. Having delivered four overs against Gujarat, Stokes started to feel the fatigue during his batting. Struggling to walk in the 90s, Stokes smashed a six that took him to 96 – and importantly reduced the equation to 9 from 7 – but a single the next ball saw him collapse in a heap with severe cramp. A good stretch later, he was going to have to do it in boundaries. And did, carving a drive ti the off-side fence. He mustered a bat wave before limping back to his mark. After 20 overs in the field, and sending down four overs for 36 runs, he had batted for 18.3 more, facing 63 balls.

The finisher: James Faulkner has so often delivered at the death with bat and ball, but unfortunately for the Tasmanian, found himself on the receiving end tonight. Trusted by Gujarat skipper Suresh Raina to deliver the final over, Faulkner's first ball was carved for the four that brought up Stokes' century. Three hobbled singles later had left the scores tied with two balls to go with Dan Christian on strike. The Hobart Hurricanes allrounder swung hard, and sent the length ball over the mid-wicket fence for six to seal the win.

The consolation effort: Brendon McCullum rarely fails to entertain and so it was again to open the Gujarat innings. A mix of brutal, flat-batted sixes and deft late cuts and glides, McCullum raced to 45 from just 26 balls. But that was where it ended, next ball well caught in the deep by Ajinkya Rahane for Shardul Thakur's wicket.

The Aussie contingent: Steve Smith clipped his first ball, full and on the pads, to the fence in a sublime piece of timing ... but the second was short and Smith gloved it to short fine-leg. James Faulkner could only manage six from as many balls before driving straight at mid-wicket, and his 2.5 overs went for 30 runs, including 13 off the final five balls of the match. Dan Christian hit the six that won the match in an enterprising cameo of 17 from 8 balls, and his three overs picked up 1-27.

The wash-up: For Gujarat it was unfortunately the same old story – an inability to string together partnerships and push on, losing wickets at regular intervals and leaving themselves too much to do with the ball. Even with a superb start to reduce Pune to 3-10 after nine balls, The bowling fell away and allowed the game to slip as Stokes took control. The result leaves Gujarat in the bottom three with Bangalore and Delhi behind them, each with games in hand. For Pune, the win keeps them in touch with the leading group as a breakaway pack begins to emerge.

Next fixtures: Pune face a stern test next match, travelling to Kolkata who will be keen to rebound from their defeat to Warner's Sunrisers. Meanwhile for Gujarat it will be a chance to get their season back on track when they play the struggling Delhi Daredevils on Friday night.