Ben Stokes will be auctioned for this year's IPL

What’s the story?

It’s now official – Ben Stokes will feature in the auctions for this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL). The auctions will be held on 4 February, 2017 in Bengaluru and Stokes’s agency has confirmed that the Englishman will participate.

Just a couple of days ago, news had emerged that the all-rounder had expressed an interest in playing in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League, while following in the footsteps of colleagues Jos Buttler and Eoin Morgan.

The 25-year-old Ben Stokes has established himself as an integral part England’s side across all formats.

The Durham man had incidentally turned down the opportunity to play in the IPL last year. While it’s unsure at the moment what his base price is likely to be, it has emerged that plenty of teams are interested in securing his signature for his explosive capabilities with both bat and ball.

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In case you didn’t know...

England all-rounder Ben Stokes has established himself as one of the finest all-rounders of his generation over the past two years with impressive batting and bowling displays with both the red and white ball for his country.

But just last year, when the chance to take part in the Indian Premier League came his way, he decided to not take it and chose to play for Durham in county cricket and play for England against Sri Lanka in the Test series.

The heart of the matter

But it looks as though the star all-rounder has had a change of heart and wants to take part in this year’s IPL. The success of Jos Buttler and England’s change in mindset with regards to players taking part in foreign domestic T20 tournaments is likely to have played a part in his decision.

A destructive middle-order batsman who is also a good death bowler, Stokes will be in high demand at the auctions and whoever wants to secure his services will have to pay a large sum. His base price could well be around £238,000 (Rs. 2 crore) and a number of franchises are certain to show interest in him.

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What next?

Stokes will take part in both ODIs and T20Is on the India tour but is unlikely to part in the entire edition of this year's IPL as England will take on Ireland at the start of May and Andrew Strauss, England’s Director of Cricket, has said that the players picked for Ireland need to be in England by May 1.

Sportskeeda’s take

Ben Stokes is undoubtedly one of the most destructive players in limited-overs cricket and his ability to contribute across various facets of the game will make him a game changer for any side in the IPL.

But with the series against Ireland taking place during the IPL, it remains to be seen if an IPL side is willing to break the bank for a player who may not take part in the entire tournament.