BIG BEN JACKPOT

£1.3m for Stokes in IPL

BEN STOKES will turn up for his court appearance in two weeks’ time knowing he has pocketed another million quid.

The controversial all-rounder faces a charge of affray for his part in a Bristol nightclub bust-up.

He was hoping to be back on the field for England in New Zealand but his date in the dock has kept him on the sidelines. The star, 26, has been handed a huge £1.3million windfall, however, on day one of the Indian Premier League auction as he was signed by Rajasthan Royals.

Last year Stokes lit up the mega-bucks T20 extravaganza after a £1.7m payday at Pune and was named MVP.

England Test skipper Joe Root was up for grabs for the first time but went unsold on day one of the two-day mega sale which saw 578 players being traded by the eight franchises. But father-to-be Chris Woakes landed a hefty deal of £810,000 with Royal Challengers Bangalore, where he will play alongside Indian legend Virat Kohli and South African AB de Villiers.

Woakes, 28, said: “It is crazy to think as a cricketer you could earn that sort of money for the amount of time you’re going to be playing.

“It’s mind-boggling really. This is life-changing.”

The all-rounder heard the news as he boarded the England team bus in Perth ahead of today’s final ODI against Australia.

The Warwickshire man said: “With everyone talking about it, it was a great feeling – I was over the moon to get picked up.”

Woakes banked £500,000 for his spell with Kolkata Knight Riders last year and added: “I had just got married – it certainly paid for the wedding, put it that way.”

Woakes will be joined by his international team-mate Moeen Ali in Bangalore.

Moeen was unexpectedly landed for £187,000 while Jos Buttler will join Stokes at Rajasthan.

Woakes is aware the IPL will make for a busy schedule.

He will head straight to India after England’s second Test in New Zealand in early April and return home just in time for the first home Test against Pakistan in late May.

He said: “You just have to manage your body as much as possible – be on top of it more than ever.”