IPL Auction 2017, Highlights, Bengaluru: Stokes Becomes Most Expensive Player Ever, Bangalore Spend Big On Tymal Mills, Ishant Unsold

An intense day of bidding came to end with Ben Stokes making history by becoming the most expensive foreign player in the Indian Premier League ever. The all-rounder was bought by Rising Pune Supergiants for a whopping Rs. 14 crore while Royal Challengers Bangalore shelled out Rs. 12 crore to buy England's pace sensation Tymal Mills. Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan were the two Afghan players to be bought in the auction. There were a few shocks as well along the way. There were no takers for Ishant Sharma and Irfan Pathan while world's No.1 T20 bowler Imran Tahir also went unsold. (IPL Player Auction List)

Catch all the highlights of the IPL 2017 auction here.

15:35 IST: Thanks for joining us for all the action today. The IPL starts on April 5, so do join us for the all the live updates then.

15:28 IST: And with that concludes the IPL Player Auction. So, the key takeaways from today's auction was the price fetched by Ben Stokes, Tymal Mills while Mohammad Nabi became the first Afghan player to be bought in an IPL auction.

15:25 IST: Pune Supergiants get Manoj Tiwary for his base price of Rs. 50 lakh.

15:23 IST: KKR buy Darren Bravo for his base price of Rs. 50 lakh.

15:21 IST: Back after the break. Final session of the auction starts.

14:57 IST: Another small break!

14:53 IST: Australian all-rounder Dan Christian is bought for his base price of Rs. 1 crore by Pune Supergiants.

14:43 IST: Bangladesh's Mehedi Hasan and Mahmudullah both go unsold.

14:41 IST: Munaf Patel is bought by Gujarat Lions for his base price of Rs. 30 lakh.

14:39 IST: Darren Sammy goes to Punjab for his base price of Rs. 30 lakh.

14:35 IST: Sri Lankan Asela Gunaratne is sold to Mumbai Indians for Rs. 30 lakh.

14:31 IST: Mohammed Siraj, who had a base price of Rs. 20 lakh, is bought by Hyderabad for Rs. 2.6 crore.

14:25 IST: Billy Stanlake is sold to Bangalore for Rs. 30 lakh.

14:21 IST: Sri Lankan all-rounder is the next man in and also goes unsold. Some peculiar bidding happening here. Surely, one team needed the hitting and bowling prowess of the Sri Lankan. He had also done well in the Big Bash.

14:19 IST: Darren Bravo is next. Sadly, no takers for him either.

14:14 IST: Another big shock is that there are no takers for South Africa's ace spinner Imran Tahir. He is currently the No.1-ranked T20 bowler but the IPL teams obviously don't rate him too highly. His base price was only Rs. 50 lakh.

14:13 IST: Ishant Sharma is once again snubbed by the IPL teams, which is a big surprise. His base price of Rs. 2 crore probably was too high.

14:11 IST: Australian pacer Nathan Coulter-Nile, who had a base price of Rs. 1 crore, is sold to Rs. 3.5 crore to Kolkata Knight Riders.

14:09 IST: South African pacer Kyle Abbott also remains unsold.

14:08 IST: Still no takers for Irfan Pathan. He remains unsold! That's a big surprise!

14:07 IST: England pacer Chris Jordan, with a base price of Rs. 50 lakh, is bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad.

14:06 IST: Saurabh Tiwary goes to Mumbai Indians for his base price of Rs. 30 lakh.

14:05 IST: Gujarat Lions get a steal as they bag Roy for his base price. Surprise no other team bid for him.

14:04 IST: Next up is Jason Roy, his base price is Rs. 1 crore.

14:03 IST: Punjab come in with the opening bid and get their man for his base price.

14:02 IST: First unsold player back in the auction pool is Martin Guptill -- available for a base price of Rs. 50 lakh.

14:01 IST: And we are back after that break!

12:41 IST: We will also take a breather here but do join us after the break.

We break for Lunch now and will be back at 2 PM IST #IPLAuction. Take a look at the top buys from the morning session. pic.twitter.com/idSdy3GNg2

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) February 20, 2017

12:40 IST: Lunch break!! Now the teams will choose the unsold players that they want to be returned to the auction pool. 

12:36 IST: With a base price of Rs. 1.5 crore, Australian spinner Nathan Lyon remains unsold.

12:35 Former Chennai Super Kings pacer Manpreet Gony goes to Gujarat for Rs. 30 lakh.

12:31 IST: India pacer Varun Aaron bought by Punjab for Rs. 2.8 crore.

12:28 IST: Kings XI get New Zealand pacer Matt Henry for his base price of Rs. 50 lakh.

12:25 IST: Former India pacer RP Singh remains unsold.

12:22 IST: The likes of Brad Haddin and Niroshan Dickwella have all gone unsold for the time being.

12:18 IST: Rishi Dhawan is sold for Rs. 55 lakh to KKR.

12:16 IST: Mumbai get the leg-spinner for Rs. 3.2 crore.

12:14 IST: Intense bidding between Gujarat and Mumbai for Karn Sharma. His base price was Rs. 30 lakh and the bid has reached Rs. 2.8 crore.

12:13 IST: West Indian captain Jason Holder remains unsold.

Chris Woakes was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for more than double his base price.
Photo Credit: NDTV

12:12 IST: English pacer Chris Woakes is bought by KKR for Rs. 4.2 crore. His base price was Rs. 2 crore.

12:06 IST: No takers for West Indian Marlon Samuels and Australia's Nic Maddinson either.

12:05 IST: S Badrinath and Michael Klinger remain unsold.

12:00 IST: Pravin Tambe is bought by Hyderabad for his base price for Rs. 10 lakh.

11:58 IST: Bought for a whopping Rs. 4 crore by SunRisers Hyderabad.

Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs. 4 crore.
Photo Credit: NDTV

11:57 IST: Afghanistan's young spinner Rashid Khan Arman is garnering a lot of attention. His base price was Rs. 50 lakh.

11:53 IST: Sarabjeet Ladda remains unsold.

11:51 IST: Uncapped spinner Murugan Ashwin with a base price of Rs. 10 lakh is sold to Delhi Daredevils for Rs. 1 crore.

11:48 IST: Basil Thampy with a base price of Rs. 10 lakh is sold for Rs. 85 lakh to Gujarat Lions.

11:47 IST: Nathu Singh is bought by Gujarat for Rs. 50 lakh.

11:44 IST: Uncapped medium pacer T Natarajan bought by Punjab for Rs. 3 crore.

11:42 IST: Let's listen in to what RCB chairman had to say after spending big on Tymal Mills.

.@RCBTweets chairman Amrit Thomas speaks about @tmills15's selection #IPLauction pic.twitter.com/9ldggj9DHM

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) February 20, 2017

11:40 IST: RCB get Aniket for Rs. 2 crore!

11:35 IST: Aniket Choudhary is receiving some high bids. Gujarat and RCB are bidding aggressively for the young pacer. The bid has reached 1.5 crore.

11:32 IST: Former KKR wicketkeeper Manvinder Bisla remains unsold.

11:30 IST: SunRisers Hyderabad buy Eklavya Dwivedi for Rs. 75 lakh.

11:28 IST: Aditya Tare is sold to Delhi Daredevils for Rs. 25 lakh.

11:24 IST: Manan Sharma, Praveen Dubey, Shivam Dubey and Rush Kalaria all go unsold!

11:20 IST: Gowtham is sold to Mumbai Indians for 20 times his base price.

11:19 IST: His base price is Rs. 10 lakh and the bidding has already reached 2 crore.

11:18 IST: Gowtham K is getting some intense bidding.

11:16 IST: Nabi becomes the first Afghan player to be sold in an IPL auction. He has been bought by RCB for Rs. 30 lakh.

11:15 IST: Another Afghan Mohammad Nabi up for auction. His base price is Rs. 30 lakh.

11:14 IST: Uncapped all-rounders up for grabs now!

11:13 IST: Afghanistan's Asghar Stanikzai also remains unsold.

11:11 IST: Unmukt Chand with a base price of Rs. 30 lakh remains unsold.

11:10 IST: Ankeet Bawane sold to Delhi Daredevils for Rs. 10 lakh.

11:09 IST: Prithvi Shaw and Umang Sharma remain unsold. Their base price was Rs. 10 lakh.

11:10 IST: Here we go again!

10:55 IST: Another short break in the proceedings!

10:54 IST: Ish Sodhi, Brad Hogg and Pragyan Ojha all go unsold!

10:50 IST: Here come the spinners!

10:49 IST: Wow, no takers for Ishant with his base price of Rs. 2 crore. He remains unsold.

10:48 IST: Indian pacer Ishant Sharma is up next.

10:47 IST: South Africa pacer Kyle Abbott remains unsold.

10:46 IST: Mumbai make the first bid and get their man as no other team bids for the Australian pacer.

10:45 IST: Mitchell Johnson is up next. His base price is Rs. 2 crore.

10:44 IST: Delhi Daredevils get Pat Cummins for Rs. 4.5 crore. Delhi are not holding back today. They have got two quality pacers in Rabada and Cummins.

Tymal Mills, who had a base price of 50 lakh, was bought by RCB for a whopping Rs. 12 crore.
Photo Credit: NDTV

10:41 IST: Tymal Mills is sold to RCB for a whopping Rs. 12 crore.

10:40 IST: RCB has joined the action and the bid has reached 12 crore.

10:39 IST: The bid has reached 10 crore.

10:38 IST: The bid has already reached 6.2 crore with Mumbai and Punjab bidding aggressively.

10:37 IST: England pacer Tymal Mills is up next. He is also expected to get some big bids.

10:36 IST: Sold to Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs. 5 crore.

10:35 IST: New Zealand pacer Trent Boult is also getting some big bids.

Kagiso Rabada was bought for five times his base price by Delhi Daredevils.
Photo Credit: NDTV

10:34 IST: Sold to Delhi Daredevils for Rs. 5 crore.

10:33 IST: Yes, they do! Kings XI and Delhi going at it. And the bid has reached 5 crore.

10:32 IST: South African fast bowler Kagiso Rabada with a base price of Rs. 1 crore is up for grabs now. Surely the teams will bid for him.

10:31 IST: No bidding for Australian pacer Nathan Coulter-Nile.

10:30 IST: No takers for Sri Lankan keeper Dinesh Chandimal either.

10:29 IST: West Indian keeper Johnson Charles with a base price of Rs. 30 lakh also remains unsold.

10:28 IST: West Indies' Nicholas Pooran sold to Mumbai Indians for his base price of Rs. 30 lakh.

10:27 IST: West Indies' Andre Fletcher also remains unsold.

10:25 IST: Up next is Jonny Bairstow. With a base price of Rs. 1.5 crore, he remains unsold.

10:24 IST: Australian keeper Ben Dunk, with a base price of Rs. 30 lakh, remains unsold.

10:23 IST: Wicketkeepers are now up for grabs!

10:22 IST: And we are back! The break over, let's get ready for some more action.

10:06 IST: A small breather for everyone! So obviously, the big news till now is that Ben Stokes has been bought for Rs. 14.5 crore by RPS. It was expected that he would fetch a big price, so no surprises there.

10:05 IST: English pacer Chris Jordan, with a base price Rs. 50 lakh, remains unsold.

10:03 IST: Delhi get Corey Anderson for his base price of Rs. 1 crore.

Ben Stokes will play for Rising Pune Supergiants after being bought for Rs. 14.5 crore.
Photo Credit: NDTV

10:01 IST: Sold!! RPS get their man for a whopping Rs. 14.5 crore.

10:00 IST: The bid is 14.5 crore and Sunrisers have waved the white flag.

09:59 IST: Rising Pune Supergiants also bid and it's 13.5 crore.

09:58 IST: It's 13 crore with the bid being with Hyderabad.

09:58 IST: Sunrisers Hyderabad join the action and the bid is now 11 crore.

09:57 IST: 10.5 crore now with Delhi! This is heating up!

09:56 IST: The bid is 9.5 crore already with Mumbai.

09:55 IST: Mumbai and Delhi bidding aggressively. It's already reached Rs. 7 crore.

09:54 IST: Ben Stokes is the next man.

09:53 IST: Another surprise as Irfan Pathan with a base price of Rs. 50 lakh remains unsold.

09:52 IST: Sold to Delhi Daredevils for his base price.

09:51 IST: Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews is up next. He has a base price of Rs. 2 crore.

09:50 IST: RCB get their man for Rs. 1 crore after some intense bidding.

09:49 IST: The bid has reached 95 lakh for Negi, who's base price was Rs. 30 lakh.

09:48 IST: Gujarat Lions and RCB doing the back and forth.

09:47 IST: Finally some bidding being done by the teams and it's for Pawan Negi.

09:44 IST: Indian batsman Saurabh Tiwary with a base price of Rs. 30 lakh also remains unsold.

09:43 IST: Taylor also remains unsold!! The teams seem to very cautious with a limited purse available.

09:42 IST: Up next is New Zealand's middle order batsman Ross Taylor with a base price of Rs. 50 lakh.

09:41 IST: Another Englishman Alex Hales also remains unsold. His base price was Rs. 1 crore

09:40 IST: Surprise! Surprise! Jason Roy goes unsold. At least for the time being.

IPL Auction: Eoin Morgan was bought by Kings XI Punjab for his base price.
Photo Credit: NDTV

09:39 IST: Morgan goes to Kings XI for his base price!!

09:38 IST: Up next is Eoin Morgan with a base price of Rs. 2 crore. First bid by Kings XI Punjab.

09:37 IST: Guptill goes unsold!

09:36 IST: Here comes the first player to be sold and it's New Zealand opener Martin Guptill. His base price is Rs. 50 lakh.

09:31 IST: All set for the IPL Auction and the action is expected to start soon.

09:25 IST: A message from the main man of the IPL auction.

This is my workplace for the rest of the day . That little gavel could be busy! #IPLAuction pic.twitter.com/Bq4mwURJqu

— Richard Madley (@iplauctioneer) February 20, 2017

09:10 IST: Some big name players will be up for grabs today. The likes of Ben Stokes, Ishant Sharma, Eoin Morgan, Kagiso Rabada will surely be the big picks.

09:00 IST: Hello and welcome to the live blog of the IPL Player Auction taking place in Bengaluru.

The focus will be the English players too with the likes of all-rounder Ben Stokes, England captain Eoin Morgan and hard-hitting opener Jason Roy entering the fray. Ahmad

The base price ranges from Rs 10 Lakh to Rs 2 crore and there could be a clamour for uncapped Indian players based on their performances during the recent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Among the uncapped Indian players, young performers like Jharkhand batsman Virat Singh and teenage sensation Prithvi Shaw (both Rs 10 lakh) can attract good bids. Not to forget Ishank Jaggi who was drafted as a last minute player after a string of good performances in the final leg of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy.

The auction pool is an interesting mix with five Afghanistan players. But Mohammed Shahzad (BP Rs 50 lakh) with his pyrotechnics and spinner all-rounder Mohammed Nabi (BP Rs 30 lakh) may get deals, which will be a historic first and big boost for India's friendly neighbourhood.