SOMERSET star Tom Banton will play in the 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL) after being snapped up by Kolkata Knight Riders at Thursday's auction.

Banton entered the draft at a base price of 1 crore (US $140,000) and KKR submitted the only bid, which could turn out to be a steal for a franchise looking to win their first IPL since 2014.

The 21-year-old joins the likes of Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell and Pat Cummins in the Kolkata squad for the tournament, which is set to run between April 1 and May 31.

If Banton plays the duration of the tournament, that would rule him out of Somerset's first seven County Championship matches (and opening two Vitality Blast games).

Banton, who made his England debut in the T20 series in New Zealand last month, is currently representing Brisbane Heat in their first eight Big Bash matches.

The IPL deal puts the cherry on top of an incredible year for Banton, who - in addition to his international bow - has helped Somerset to Royal London One-Day Cup glory as well as scoring 549 Vitality Blast runs.