Mills lost for words after striking IPL bumper deal

Dubai, Feb 21: England pacer Tymal Mills, who emerged the most expensive bowler in the Indian Premier League (IPL) history going for a staggering Rs 12 crore to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) said the price did not seem "real" to him and took a while to sink in.

The 24-year-old was the second hottest buy after his English teammate Ben Stokes, who was taken from Rs 14.5 crore by Rising Pune Supergiants (RPSG) at the IPL auction in Bengaluru on Monday.

"I can't believe it. I can't put into words what happened. I did not see this coming and it took a while for it to sink in. It has been a crazy day," the Sussex pacer was quoted as saying by ecb.co.uk.

"I was up at 8.30am this morning and put the auction on TV. I had missed some of the batters get sold but saw Stokesy go for big money – that was awesome."

"I knew what time I was due to go up so didn't have to wait long. When my turn came I was pretty nervous. I just wanted to get picked up," added Mills, who impressed during England's recent T20 series in India.

Mills, who is currently playing for the Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), enjoyed spells with Auckland Aces and Brisbane Heat earlier this winter and his life as a franchise cricketer would be complete if he could win an IPL deal.

"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 Rs 10 crore, I knew it was big money, but it kept going," he said.

"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," he added.