Among those on this year’s longlist is former England pace bowler Tymal Mills.

Mills, 33, is the leading wicket-taker in the men’s competition, featuring in all five seasons for the Southern Brave.

In 2017, Mills was picked up in the IPL draft by Royal Challengers Bangalore for 1200 Lakh, which works out at just under £1m and made him the second most expensive overseas signing that year behind current England men’s Test captain, Ben Stokes.

“That was life-changing money really, and at a time where I didn’t really have any money at all, it came,” Mills told BBC Sport.

“To sit and watch that on TV unfold, I was in the UAE at the time, and just watched your head pop up on the screen and then to see guys in a room lifting a paddle and bidding for you was very surreal.

“That first IPL experience was amazing.”

Like many seasoned franchise cricketers, Mills has experienced both the highs of going for big money and the lows of being unsigned.

“I’ve had a lot of other drafts and auctions since then that haven’t gone my way,” Mills added.

“You very rarely go into things with a guarantee. I’ve had lots of auctions and drafts through the years where you get told, maybe a team owner or a coach says we’re going to pick you at this category or we’re going bid for you and then things change and that doesn’t transpire.

“I’ve learned to not put too much stock into that because you know you can be left disappointed. Once the draft or the auction itself starts and the bidding starts and the dynamics can quickly change so you’ve got to hope that things don’t go against you in terms of timing and other things that could impact your success at the auction.”

This article is the latest from BBC Sport’s Ask Me Anything team.