'Life-changing' IPL auction shocks Stokes and Mills

Ben Stokes and Tymal Mills both believe that their lives have been changed overnight, after being signed for record-breaking fees by Rising Pune Supergiants and Royal Challengers Bangalore respectively during a dramatic day's bidding at the IPL auction.

When one looks at the 2017 Indian Premier League auction, there were some surprises. England’s Ben Stokes and Tymal Mills were snapped up for record sums of Rs 14.5 crore and Rs 12 crore by Rising Pune Supergiants and Royal Challengers Bangalore respectively.

Among the Indian players, Karn Sharma was the most expensive pick as he was picked up by Mumbai Indians for a price of Rs 3.2 crore.

Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan Arman became the first Afghan players in the IPL, the latter earning a hefty ₹4 crore, while Trent Boult and Kagiso Rabada both hit the 5-crore mark.

Monday’s auction process showed that the IPL is now here to stay and, for that, much of the credit needs to go to the role of companies that own the various franchises.

Clearly, the increasing corporatization of the league has made it more professional.

"It has been a pretty incredible week and, considering you normally have your most exciting times when you're playing, it's been an amazing and interesting few days," Stokes said.