Ben Stokes and Tymal Mills in wonderland after IPL auction

02/21/2017

Ben Stokes and Tymal Mills have expressed their surprise at the results of the IPL auction where the English duo fetched a combined amount of ₹ 26.5 crores. Stokes became the most expensive foreign signing ever in IPL when the Rising Pune Supergiants came out on top after a bidding war.

Ben Stokes' star has been on the rise for quite a while and he was expected to be the main star of the 2017 auction and he didn't disappoint. As soon as auctioneer Richard Madley said Ben Stokes, Mumbai and Delhi quickly took the price to three times the base price of ₹ 2 crores. As the number crossed ₹10 crores, Hyderabad joined the action but it was Pune who eventually secured his services for a record ₹14.5 crores.

"It's 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 told Cricinfo.

"I set my alarm for 3.30am, got up and waited about 40 minutes for my turn in the auction. I was anxious, not really knowing what would happen.

"I was following it on Twitter, I didn't actually see it live. I kept on refreshing my notifications, I saw people were tweeting and then I realized that Pune had got me."

Stokes, however, was unaware of how much a crore actually was and it took him some time to understand the sheer amount that Pune had spent on him.

"I wasn't sure how much a Crore was, people were retweeting stuff, it was complete carnage. I still haven't seen the footage," he added.

"I hadn't thought about how much I would go for. I guess having more than one team wanting me was probably the best position to be in. I just wanted to get picked up and play. I haven't been able to play in the past so that was the main thing, anything else was just a bonus. I'm looking forward to getting out there and getting involved.

"Seven times my base amount - that's mental and it hasn't sunk in yet, but pretty cool to think about I guess. Hopefully I'll live up to it, win a few games and deliver on what they've paid for me. It's a life-changing amount of money, I can't really say more than that. I'm really thankful and grateful for how it went this morning. I'm struggling to put it into words.

"It has all been a bit hectic and I haven't had much time to think about it. I'm just seriously excited about getting going."

While Stokes was expected to make the headlines, the unassuming Tymal Mills would have been happy to just make the cut. The pacer had set his price at just ₹ 50 lakhs, but in the end, Royal Challengers Bangalore ended up paying 24 times (₹ 12 crores) the amount the Englishman had valued himself at.

"I can't believe it. I can't put into words what happened. I did not see this coming and it took a while for it to sink in. It has been a crazy day," Mills told cricinfo.

"I was the lowest of the base prices because I just wanted to get picked up by a team. I didn't want to wait until July for my next cricket.

"My agent had spoken to some of the teams and there had been some interest but until it happens you just don't know what will happen."

Mills, whose career almost ended two years ago after he was diagnosed with a congenital back condition, showed what he was capable of more with impressive displays during England's T20 series against India.

"When my name came up I was nervous, giddy and jumpy. I was on Facetime with my best mate and he just kept shouting. The bidding was quite slow but once it hit 10 Crore I knew it was big money, but it kept going," Mills said.

"When it finished I did not know how much it was worth. When I worked it out I could not believe it, it did not seem real. It's an amount of money that can change your life. It will for me. I went for breakfast with Luke Wright after watching the auction and he said the back injury might have been the best thing that ever happened to me. It was sad at the time, being 22 and having to think about retiring from the game, but being able to focus on T20 has accelerated my development.

"This is my first winter on the T20 circuit. I've played in the Big Bash, have the IPL coming up and am looking forward to playing with the Sussex lads in the Blast this summer too. It's been fun. I've travelled the world and met some cool people. I'm grateful."

Ben Stokes and Tymal Mills in wonderland after IPL auction

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