Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders have signed up young New South Wales all-rounder Moises Henriques for 300,000 dollars.

Henriques''s contract is believed to be heavily incentive-based, but it still stands to make him the highest-paid junior cricketer in Australia, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

The St George all-rounder said he was unaware whether the contract had been finalised, although Kolkata chief executive Joy Bhattacharya confirmed terms had been agreed upon.

Henriques said that he was yet to prove himself, and that his big dream was to play for Australia.

The signing of Henriques and the courting of fellow New South Wales players Warner and Smith has placed pressure on Cricket Australia to strongly consider Twenty20 potential when naming their 25-man contract list for next season, or risk losing talented young players to India for extended periods of the season.

Chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch on Monday admitted next year's Twenty20 World Cup could be a factor in determining the contracts for 2009-10, raising the possibility of players such as Warner being rated among the top 25 players in the country on domestic limited-overs form alone, and little or no first-class experience.

The signing of Henriques could have far-reaching ramifications for the domestic game in Australia. Cricket NSW chief executive Dave Gilbert said, adding that Cricket Australia would be wise to award central contracts to players on Twenty20 ability.