#IPL2017Auction: Big Ben, Big Bucks

During their limited-overs leg of the tour of India last month, top England players expressed keen interest to play in the Indian Premier League, none more so than Ben Stokes. "It is a good opportunity to experience a different competition. This year's IPL is a chance not just for myself but to a few other English guys to go and experience what it is like and get a different side of T20 cricket rather than just in England. I'm looking forward to seeing if I get a chance," Stokes had said before the first ODI in Pune.

On Monday, Stokes not only got the chance but also went for a whopping Rs 14.50 crore, the most a franchise has purchased a foreign cricketer for in the IPL auction. The 25-year-old Durham all-rounder was acquired by Rising Pune Supergiants at the player auction in Bengaluru. RPS had, the day earlier, replaced Mahendra Singh Dhoni with Steve Smith as their captain for this year's edition.

Stokes's price fell short of the all-time record of Rs 16cr that an IPL franchise paid to acquire a player, by Delhi Daredevils in 2015.

Stokes should be available for the full duration of IPL that runs from April 5 to May 21 despite the fact that England play two ODIs, on May 5 and 7, against Ireland at home. It remains to be seen if the England and Wales Cricket Board will ask Stokes to return IPL halfway but considering that they are playing a lowly Ireland, Stokes may be given the cushion of playing in his first full IPL season.

Stokes could also join the England team in its preparation for the ICC Champions Trophy by playing in three ODIs against South Africa from May 24, well after the conclusion of the T20 league.

In a video message posted by his county side Durham, Stokes said on Monday: "I am excited to think about the opportunity to be going out to the IPL, the biggest T20 franchise competition in the world. To be able to be involved in the team with the superstars of that format of the game, and developing my Twenty20 game because, unfortunately we don't get as much Twenty20 cricket as other countries do. We don't have franchise competition.

"Obviously, we play Test matches in summer. So we very rarely get to come back and play for our counties in T20 format. And then, in the England summer you play one T20 at the end of the series. You are looking at four T20 cricket throughout our cricket summer, which is not ideal if you want to get better at. Potentially, to be going and playing 4-5 weeks of T20 cricket and practicing around the people who have done it for years will do a world of good for me."

Stokes started at a base price of Rs 2cr and was the hottest property. With Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils fiercely, raising the bid to upto Rs 10.5cr when Sunrisers Hyderabad joined with a Rs 11cr bid. Delhi and Hyderabad fought it out with the south franchise taking it upto Rs 13cr, at which point Rising Pune Supergiants joined the fray with 13.5cr bid. SRH took it up to Rs 14cr before RPS sealed the deal at Rs14.50cr.

Stokes led the six Englishmen who were sold on the day with T20 specialist left-arm pacer Tymal Mills going for a record price spent on a specialist bowler – Rs 12cr – by Royal Challengers Bangalore.

All-rounder Chris Woakes (Rs 4.20cr, Kolkata Knight Riders), England limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan (Rs 2cr, Kings XI Punjab), opener Jason Roy (Rs 1cr, Gujarat Lions) and all-rounder Chris Jordan (Rs 50lakh, SRH) were the other Englishmen that went under the hammer successfully.