Ben Stokes and Tymal Mills overjoyed after dramatic IPL auction

Ben Stokes and Tymal Mills are still pleasantly surprised after a life-changing Indian Premier League (IPL) auction on 20 February.

The England duo were signed for big money as Stokes became the most expensive foreign player in IPL history after joining Rising Pune Supergiants for Rs 145m (£1.73m, $2.16m), while Mills joined Royal Challengers Bangalore for Rs 120m (£1.43m, $1.79m).

It capped a great week for Stokes – who had a base price of Rs 20m (£240,000, $300,000) – after being named England's vice-captain for Test matches, following Joe Root's announcement as new skipper.

"It's been a pretty incredible week and, considering you normally have your most exciting times when you're playing, it's been an amazing and interesting few days," the England all-rounder said as quoted on ESPN.

"I set my alarm for 3.30am, got up and waited about 40 minutes for my turn in the auction. I was anxious, not really knowing what would happen.

"I was following it on Twitter; I didn't actually see it live. I kept on refreshing my notifications, I saw people were tweeting and then I realised that Pune had got me."

It took the 25-year-old a while to realise the magnitude of his auction pick especially as it was being conducted in rupees and the Pune franchise had swooped in late.

"I wasn't sure how much a crore was, people were retweeting stuff, it was complete carnage," he added. "I still haven't seen the footage."

"I hadn't thought about how much I would go for. I guess having more than one team wanting me was probably the best position to be in. I just wanted to get picked up and play. I haven't been able to play in the past so that was the main thing; anything else was just a bonus. I'm looking forward to getting out there and getting involved.

"Seven times my base amount - that's mental and it hasn't sunk in yet, but pretty cool to think about I guess. Hopefully I'll live up to it, win a few games and deliver on what they've paid for me.

"It's a life-changing amount of money, I can't really say more than that. I'm really thankful and grateful for how it went this morning. I'm struggling to put it into words. It has all been a bit hectic and I haven't had much time to think about it. I'm just seriously excited about getting going."

As for Mills, the fast bowler was bought for an incredible 24 times his base price, something he did not see coming.

"I can't believe it. I can't put into words what happened," he said. "I did not see this coming and it took a while for it to sink in. It has been a crazy day.

"I was the lowest of the base prices because I just wanted to get picked up by a team. I didn't want to wait until July for my next cricket.

"My agent had spoken to some of the teams and there had been some interest but until it happens you just don't know what will happen.

"When my name came up I was nervous, giddy and jumpy. I was on Facetime with my best mate and he just kept shouting.

"The bidding was quite slow but once it hit 10 crore (£1.43m) I knew it was big money, but it kept going.

"When it finished I did not know how much it was worth. When I worked it out I could not believe it, it did not seem real. It's an amount of money that can change your life. It will for me."

The 10th edition of the IPL will kick off on 5 April.