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Ben Stokes signed by Rising Pune Supergiants in lucrative IPL deal

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See the moment Ben Stokes was auctioned to the Rising Pune Supergiants in a lucrative IPL deal

Ben Stokes became the most expensive foreign player in Indian Premier League history after being signed for more than $2m (£1.6m) by the Rising Pune Supergiants at auction on Monday.

The recently named England Test vice-captain fetched seven times the amount of England's limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan, who was sold to the Kings XI Punjab for $300,000 (£240,000) in the opening stages of the IPL cricket auction being held in Bangalore.

England captain Eoin Morgan
Image: England captain Eoin Morgan was sold to the Kings XI Punjab

Stokes attracted multiple bids from the rival franchises competing in the eight-team Twenty20 competition before the gavel came down in the final round after Pune put in a bid of 145 million rupees (£1.74m).

"I can't wait to get over there and meet everyone at Rising Pune Supergiants and I'm really grateful to them for giving me this opportunity. In terms of cricket experience, it will only do me the world of good," Stokes said on his personal website.

"I'm really pleased now that it's sorted and it's started to sink in. I've been talking about it with Neil Fairbrother for the last three years or so - I really trust his opinion - and we felt this was the time to go for it. The excitement is huge, it's the biggest franchise competition in the world with all of the biggest and best players involved."

The tournament - which you can watch in its entirety on Sky Sports - will be spread over 47 days across 10 venues, and will begin on April 5 when Sunrisers Hyderabad meet Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Former England captain Kevin Pietersen previously held the record bid for a foreign player, before the figure paid for Stokes shattered the 90 million rupees (£1.1m) the Delhi Daredevils shelled out in 2014.

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The stage is set for the 2017 Indian Premier League, and you can watch it all live on Sky Sports from April 5

It is still short of the 160 million rupees (£1.9m) the Royal Challengers Bangalore paid for the Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh in 2015.

England all-rounder Stokes, 25, will be taking part in the competition for the first time, but could miss the end of the tournament due to international commitments.

England's Tymal Mills bowling during play in the T20 international cricket match between England and Sri Lanka at The Ageas Bowl in Southampton, on the sou
Image: England's Tymal Mills earned a lucrative deal with the Royal Challengers Bangalore

England T20 specialist Tymal Mills later earned a lucrative deal of his own as he was snapped up by the Royal Challengers Bangalore for £1.4m.

The left-arm quick - who does not play any longer forms of the game due to back problems and is available for the entire tournament - will team up with India captain Virat Kohli in Bangalore.

Mills told Sky Sports News HQ: "It is a bit surreal, I can't really believe it. It has definitely changed my life this morning, so I am pretty happy."

Mills, who at one stage feared he may have to quit the game due to injury, added: "In a boardroom at Sussex two years ago, you definitely would not have thought this would be where we are at now, so I am still pinching myself a bit.

"I am sure most of the attention will be on guys like Kohli and [AB] de Villiers but I am looking forward to being part of that set-up.

"I am in Dubai and I watched the auction on TV. Definitely one of the most interesting programmes I have watched in a while!"

All-rounder Chris Woakes was the third England player to get a hefty payday, going to Kolkata Knight Riders for 42 million rupees (£504k).

England internationals Jason Roy (£120k) and Chris Jordan (£60k) were picked up by Gujarat Lions and Sunrisers Hyderabad respectively in the second round. Alex Hales and Jonny Bairstow went unsold.

Watch exclusive coverage of the 2017 IPL on Sky Sports, from April 5. Before then, don't miss our special IPL Auction Show tonight at 9pm on Sky Sports 4.

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