UK pay-television broadcaster Sky has renewed an agreement for rights to Twenty20 cricket tournament the Indian Premier League.
The new multi-year deal grants Sky the right to broadcast 60 live IPL matches per year in the UK and Ireland.
The deal also includes digital rights and begins with the 2018 IPL season, which gets underway on April 7. Sky’s previous three-season agreement expired following the 2017 tournament.
Last season’s IPL saw an England international feature for each of the tournament’s eight franchises. On Saturday, the Rajasthan Royals signed Ben Stokes for £1.4m (€1.6m/$2m) during the player auction for the new season.
Stokes (pictured), IPL 2017’s most valuable player, will be joined by England team-mate Jos Buttler at the Royals, while Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali were picked up by Royal Challengers Bangalore for fees of £821,500 and £188,700, respectively.