Ravi Bopara says he has rejected a lucrative offer to play in the Indian Premier League.

The Essex player says he was offered a six-figure deal by an unnamed side.

"When figures like these are put in front of you it is tempting, but my first priority is, and always has been, with England," said the England all-rounder.

"I am confident that if I continue to score runs and take wickets for Essex I will hopefully play for England this summer and for many years to come."

Bopara, 23, made his Test debut in Sri Lanka during the winter, before being discarded for the New Zealand leg of the tour after three Tests.

But he says he will get his financial rewards down the line if he achieves his goals.

"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," he explained.

"It's nice to be known and wanted and I'm glad if my IPL approach has made Essex proud. I'm Essex through and through, I love playing at Essex and want to play for them for the rest of my career.

"I'm currently playing well and with a Test series coming up against New Zealand, if there was an injury to our batting line-up I'd like to think I would be next in line. That's what I'm looking at."

Bopara is already seen as a key part of the one-day set-up and his decision to snub the IPL is sure to go down well with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

Hampshire skipper Dimitri Mascarenhas is currently England's only representative in the big-money Twenty20 competition, but established stars like Kevin Pietersen and Ryan Sidebottom have declared their interest in participating in the future.

Bopara is not centrally contracted to the ECB and would be free to pursue a contract with one of the eight IPL franchises if an agreement was reached with his county.