Luke Wright signs for Pune Warriors

Luke Wright, the Sussex allrounder, has announced on twitter that he has signed for IPL franchise Pune Warriors. The deal means he will miss the start of the English season and could be unavailable for six County Championship matches.

Wright, 27, said on twitter: "I'm delighted to be going to the IPL with Pune Warriors. I'm disappointed to miss the start of the Sussex season but it's an amazing opportunity few could turn away."

His stock rose significantly when playing for Melbourne Stars in Australia's Big Bash League 2011-12 in which he scored the fastest hundred in the competition's history, off 44 balls against Hobart Hurricanes. He has scored over 2,000 runs in Twenty20 cricket with two centuries.

Wright has ambitions to win a place back in England's one-day team. He has played 46 ODIs and 30 T20s but his last cap came in England's T20 defeat against Sri Lanka at Bristol in June 2011. Last season Wright scored 341 runs in T20s for Sussex at 34.10.

Pune Warriors have now filled all their spots for overseas players, with Australia allrounders James Hopes and Steven Smith, and West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels also having signed ahead of the fifth IPL season. Warriors begin their IPL campaign against Mumbai on April 6 while Sussex open their season away to Surrey on April 5.