TYMAL MILLS revealed his life changed in just seconds after his incredible £1.4million Indian Premier League price tag.
Mills — the Sussex fast bowler who once feared he might die because of a chronic back problem — was yesterday signed by star-studded Royal Challengers Bangalore.
And England all-rounder Ben Stokes became the highest-paid overseas player in the history of the IPL when Rising Pune Supergiants coughed up £1.7m.
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Both Mills and Stokes will earn more in a few weeks than Test captain Joe Root will make in 2017 for playing all three formats for England.
Mills, speaking from the UAE where he is playing in the Pakistan Super League, said: “I can’t believe it. I can’t put into words what happened. I didn’t see this coming and it took a while to sink in. It’s been a crazy day.
“When my turn came, I was pretty nervous. I put myself in at the lowest base price because I just wanted to get picked up.
“I didn’t want to wait until July for my next cricket, which would have been the T20 Blast.
“I was nervous, giddy and jumpy. I was on FaceTime with my best mate and he just kept shouting.
“When the bidding finished, I didn’t know how much it was worth. But, when I worked it out, I couldn’t believe it, it didn’t seem real.
“It’s an amount of money that will change your life.”
Mills plays only T20 cricket because his body cannot withstand the rigours of bowling even ten overs in a 50-over match.
A couple of years ago, medics were so mystified by the cause of his back problems he underwent tests for multiple sclerosis and cancer.
Only Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh — who went for £1.9m two years ago — has attracted bigger bucks than Stokes. Five franchises bid for him.
Stokes said: “I set my alarm for 3.30am, got up and waited about 40 minutes for my turn in the auction. I was anxious and didn’t know what would happen.
“I followed it on Twitter. I saw people were tweeting and then realised that Pune had got me. I wasn’t sure how much a crore (Indian currency) is but people were re-tweeting stuff — it was carnage.
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“Going for seven times my base price is pretty cool.
“Hopefully I’ll live up to it, win a few games and deliver on what they’ve paid. It’s life-changing money.”
Mills’ franchise include AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle, while Stokes will play with Aussie skipper Steve Smith and Indian icon MS Dhoni.
Warwickshire all-rounder Chris Woakes was signed for £500,000 by Kolkata Knight Riders.
One-day captain Eoin Morgan went to Kings XI Punjab, batsman Jason Roy joined Gujarat Lions and bowler Chris Jordan attracted Sunrisers Hyderabad.
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