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Ben Stokes signs record IPL deal

England all-rounder Ben Stokes will earn more than two million euros for playing in the Indian Premier League after being snapped uo by the Rising Pune Supergiants on Monday. The 25-year-old becomes the highest paid international player as he takes part in the competition for the first time.

Ben Stokes practising before England's ODI against Ireland in 2013
Ben Stokes practising before England's ODI against Ireland in 2013 Public domain/Dan Heap
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Stokes, who was recently named England's Test vice-captain, was bought for more than two million euros by the Rising Pune Supergiants at the Indian Premier League auction in Bangalore on Monday.

The 25-year-old fetched seven times the amount of England's limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan (300,000 euros), and shatters the previous record set by former England captain Kevin Pietersen, who was sold for over 126,000 euros in 2014.

Left-armer Tymal Mills went for 1.4 million euros to Royal Challengers Bangalore, while fellow England bowler Chris Woakes was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for over 500,000 euros.

A grand total of 66 players - including 27 overseas - were sold in Monday's 2017 Indian Premier League auction, which for the first time saw eight England cricketers sign up.

The appeal of the IPL is not lost on England vice-captain Jos Buttler, who tweeted shortly after the final gavel came down: "A great day for English cricket and a few lads in particular."

Stokes attracted multiple bids from the rival franchises competing in the eight-team Twenty20 competition.

However, his participation in the six-week tournament will dock around 3,500 euros per day from his salary, which could mean that he'll lose up to 100,000 euros just for playing in India; a cost that many England players have been unwilling to afford, up until now.

A firm advocate of the Indian Premier League, Sam Buttler has been rooting for more England players to sign up, as he did last year.

Last month Butller said that playing for the Mumbai Indians had made him a better player. And he wants others to follow in his footsteps.

Buttler was retained by Mumbai Indians while Sam Billings was kept on by Delhi Daredevils.

Other highlights of Monday's auction saw Mohammad Nabi become the first cricketer from Afghanistan to be picked by a franchise.

The latest buys will play in the eight-team Twenty20 competition which kicks off on 5 April and runs until 21 May.

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