England cricketer Ravi Bopara has turned down an offer to play in the Indian Premier League.

Bopara, who plays for Essex, claims he was offered a six-figure sum to play for an unnamed team for the next four weeks.

He does not have a central England contract but he is in the England Lions squad for a match against New Zealand later this week.

If he had accepted the IPL offer, it is likely he would have pulled out of the Lions match.

He said: "Of course when figures like these are put in front of you it is tempting, but my goal is to play regularly for England so I am confident that if I continue to score runs and take wickets for Essex then I will hopefully play for England this summer and for many years to come.

"If I do this, and with the current talk of new competitions and one off matches to sit alongside the IPL, then I am sure there will be plenty of opportunities to enjoy the financial benefits in years to come."

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