After becoming the most expensive overseas player in Indian Premier League (IPL) history on Monday, England all-rounder Ben Stokes has said that he is looking forward to share the dressing room with Rising Pune Supergiants stars Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Steve Smith. Stokes was bought by the Pune franchise for a whopping amount of Rs. 14.5 crore during the player auction on Monday, February 20. After fetching a record deal at the acutions, England's richest cricketer Stokes will now skip his country's two-match ODI series against Ireland as he will be available for the entire duration of 14 league matches of Rising Pune Supergiants.
Mumbai Indians' Jos Buttler and Kolkata Knight Riders' Chris Woakes will also be available for entire league stage and will only return post May 14, according to a report in Cricinfo.
However white limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan (KXIP), Jason Roy (Gujarat Lions) and Sam Billings (Delhi Daredevils) will be returning after the April matches get over.
Pacer Tymal Mills, who got Rs 12 crore from RCB will be available for the entire duration of the tournament.
The IPL is set begin on April 5 with eight teams taking part in the competition. As per the schedule, the first IPL 2017 match will see defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad play last year's runners-up Royal Challengers Bangalore.
(With PTI inputs)