Ben Stokes & Mark Wood will play in the 2018 Indian Premier League after being drafted during the two-day auction in Bangalore.
All-rounder Stokes, playing his second consecutive IPL season, was drafted to Rajasthan Royals as the tournament’s highest valued player on 12.5 crore (circa £1.4m).
Wood is set for his first IPL stint after attracting a bid from Chennai Super Kings at the second time of asking for 1.5 crore (circa £166k)
The tournament is set to run between 7 April & 27 May. England players selected for the Test series against Pakistan will return to the UK by 17 May.
Stokes once again sparked a bidding war in the auction room after a stellar first season with Rising Pune Supergiant, which culminated in him being voted the tournament MVP.
He amassed 306 runs, including a stunning unbeaten century against Gujarat Lions, while taking 12 wickets at a lowly economy of 7.18 as the Supergiants finished runners-up to Mumbai Indians.
The Indians’ wicketkeeper in 2017, Jos Buttler, joins Stokes at Rajasthan this year alongside Australia captain Steve Smith, BBL stars Jofra Archer & D’Arcy Short, Rahul Tripathi & Jaydev Unadkat, the second most expensive player at auction.
Wood will make his bow after playing his part in England’s 4-1 ODI series win over Australia, returning back towards full pace in taking four wickets in as many matches.
The 28-year-old’s T20 performances were a huge factor in Durham Jets reaching the NatWest T20 Blast final in 2016 & he will now test his skills against the best in India.
The Super Kings’ squad includes South African sensation Lungi Ngidi, India legends MS Dhoni & Harbhajan Singh, Shane Watson & fellow Englishman Sam Billings.
Both Rajasthan Royals & Chennai Super Kings are re-admitted back into the tournament after serving a suspension in relation to the 2013 IPL betting scandal. Royal Pune Supergiant & Gujarat Lions, who replaced them for a two-year stint, have become defunct as a result.