Gloucestershire's quest to sign Kyle Mills has been wrecked by the Indian Premier League.

New Zealand Test and one-day international star Mills was lined up to play county cricket in Bristol for the first half of the 2009 campaign.

But his deal with Gloucestershire collapsed last night when he was handed a lucrative contract to play in the IPL.

Mumbai Indians have paid $150,000 for the 29-year-old seam bowler's services and Mills is now contracted to play on the subcontinent throughout April and May.

The news represents a substantial blow to Gloucestershire, who wanted Mills to serve as their overseas player for the first three months of the domestic campaign.

Club chief executive Tom Richardson confirmed: "Kyle Mills will not now be joining us.

"We had agreed terms with him and he was coming for the first part of the season. But the arrangement was obviously subject to him not being offered an IPL contract.

"He has had a good season for New Zealand, especially in one-day cricket, and his performances have been noticed by the people who run the IPL.

"We would have needed him over here before the start of our season in mid-April, instead of which he will now be in India. Money talks in cricket these days and it's just one of those things.

"It is becoming increasingly difficult to sign overseas players, especially if they are internationals, and there are very few who are available for the entire season."

Mills was a member of the New Zealand party coached by John Bracewell which toured England last summer.

Bracewell takes up a new post as Gloucestershire's director of cricket next month and it was the former Black Caps coach who persuaded Mills to open talks with the county.

Gloucestershire's requirement is for a fast bowler to support new ball pair Jon Lewis and Steve Kirby, and the county will now direct its search elsewhere.

Richardson said: "At least we can now be sure which players are available to play county cricket.

"Our intention is still to sign an overseas player for the first part of the season and we'll look at the list and go from there.

"Kyle Mills is the kind of cricketer we want to sign and we're looking for someone with similar skills.

"Availability is the key to everything and there will now be players who have missed out on an IPL contract who will instead want to come and play their cricket in England."

Gloucestershire had previously sounded out fast bowlers Steve Magoffin and Ben Hilfenhaus and may now return to Australia in a bid to plug the gap created by Mills' defection to the IPL.