Durham & England all-rounder Ben Stokes has been bought for a record fee at the IPL auction by Rising Pune Supergiants.
The 25-year-old commanded the highest fee for an overseas player in the competition’s history ahead of the tenth instalment this spring.
The competition begins on April 5, with the final scheduled to take place on May 21.
The Supergiants’ final group game is on May 14, meaning Stokes will miss the opening two Specsavers County Championship fixtures as well as the Royal London One-Day Cup group games.
Watch the IPL’s hottest property at Emirates Riverside on Saturday, 16 September as England take on the West Indies in a re-run of the ICC World T20 final; tickets are now limited in some areas of the ground