Ben Stokes becomes IPL’s most expensive international player with £1.7m Rising Pune Supergiants deal

Ben Stokes has become the richest foreign player in Indian Premier League history after being snapped up today for £1.7million, while Tymal Mills was signed for £1.4m two years after retiring from first-class cricket.

It was an auction in which English players hogged the limelight, Stokes’ fee eclipsing the £1m paid by Delhi Daredevils in 2014 for Kevin Pietersen — the previous highest for a foreign player — as Rising Pune Supergiants won a sizeable battle between rival franchises for the all-rounder’s services in the tournament, which runs from April 5 to May 21.

Stokes, who was recently appointed England vice-captain under Joe Root, was given special dispensation by Andrew Strauss, England’s director of cricket, to play in the tournament until May 14. That would mean the 25-year-old, who will pocket a percentage of his £1.7m fee linked to appearances, missing the IPL Final should his side reach that stage as Strauss is insistent on all centrally-contracted players returning home in time to attend a training camp in Spain from May 16 prior to England hosting the Champions Trophy.

The tournament does not begin until June 1, but there are three ODI matches to face against South Africa from May 24.

But it means Stokes, who still fell short of the overall record IPL auction bid of £1.9m paid for Yuvraj Singh by Delhi Daredevils, has been given the all-clear to miss the two ODIs against Ireland on May 5 and 7.

Mills is not shackled to an ECB contract so is, in effect, a free agent. Should he remain fit, he looks likely to cash in on the majority of the £1.4m Royal Challengers Bangalore paid, more than 20 times the £60,000 reserve price for the quickest bowler in English cricket.

For 24-year-old Mills, it is a remarkable turnaround in fortunes. In the early part of 2015, a congenital back condition effectively put paid to his red-ball career. Such is the condition, it also precludes him from 50-over cricket, but the former Essex and Sussex paceman has learned to manage it to enable him to fire down the four-over spells that T20 cricket requires. In that respect, he has become a nomad in the format, going from representing England in India to Australia’s Big Bash League and the IPL.

An astonished Mills tweeted today: “Seriously crazy morning! Thank you for all the messages, can’t wait to join up with everyone at [Royal Challengers Bangalore].”

Other English winners in today’s auction in Bengaluru include Chris Woakes, who, like Stokes, has been given the thumbs-up to miss the Ireland games. He cost Kolkata Knight Riders £500,000.

Joss Buttler has been allowed to do the same by Strauss, who sees the Ireland matches as a chance to bring in some new players, and has been retained by Mumbai Indians.

The same rules do not extend to Eoin Morgan, though, the thinking being that allowing the one-day captain a leave of absence from international cricket would send out the wrong message. Morgan will be available to Kings XI Punjab for a shorter period and went for just £240,000 in the auction.