Ben Stokes ready to prove his worth after securing lucrative, life-changing Indian Premier League deal
England's Test vice-captain Ben Stokes has backed himself to live up to the price tag after becoming the most expensive foreigner in Indian Premier League (IPL) history.
Stokes attracted multiple bids from rival IPL franchises during Monday’s auction before the gavel came down in the final round following a bid of 145 million rupees (£1.74m) by Rising Pune Supergiants.
The sum paid for the 25-year-old surpassed the 90 million rupees (£1.1m) the Delhi Daredevils shelled out for former England skipper Kevin Pietersen in 2014.
Stokes is set to earn more during the seven weeks of the tournament than he does in a year playing for England.
“Hopefully I’ll live up to it, win a few games and deliver on what they’ve paid for me,” said Stokes. “It’s a life-changing amount of money, I can’t really say any more.”
England T20 specialist Tymal Mills also earned a lucrative deal after being snapped up by Royal Challengers Bangalore for £1.1m.
Chris Woakes was signed by Kolkata Knight Riders for £504,140 and Eoin Morgan by Kings XI Punjab for £240,066.