MUMBAI: The 12 Pro Kabaddi League franchises went toe-to-toe in the PKL season 11 player auction to construct strong teams for the upcoming season. The management of each of the teams battled it out for the most sought-after kabaddi players, spending a total of INR 33.782 crores.
Sachin stole the show as he was snapped up for Rs 2.15cr by the Tamil Thalaivas. Iranian superstar Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh crossed the 2-crore mark once again after he was acquired by Haryana Steelers for Rs 2.07cr. Interestingly, he is also the first international player to get more than Rs 2 cr in consecutive years.
But that’s not all, six more players rewrote the record books as they all landed a deal in excess of Rs 1cr. And that was a significant as this was the first time when the PKL player auction produced eight crorepatis.
On Independence Day, at the auction, the franchises splurged Rs17.782cr, whilst on the next day, the total spent stood at Rs16cr.
Category C players strike Gold
Ajith V Kumar became the most expensive player in Category C in this year’s player auction after he was acquired by Puneri Paltan for Rs 66 lakh. Meanwhile, Jai Bhagwan was bought by Bengaluru Bulls for Rs 63l.
Category D players in the spotlight
Arjun Rathi emerged as the most expensive player in Category D after he was acquired by Bengal Warriorz for Rs 41l. Furthermore, Mohd Amaan found a place in the Puneri Paltan team for Rs 16.2l and Stuwart Singh was bought for Rs 14.2l by U Mumba.
Field day for super fans
In what was yet another first in the history of the PKL, the PKL Season 11 Player Auction opened the doors to 12 super fans, who were present at the venue. The fans enjoyed the events of Day 1 with PKL legends Pardeep Narwal (Bengaluru Bulls) and Maninder Singh (Bengal Warriorz). The kabaddi fans were invited to submit a video detailing as to why they are a PKL super fan and mention their favourite team. The top 12 fans in the contest were invited for the auction. The super fans watched the auction proceedings in a specially curated fan lounge at the auction venue. Furthermore, they also had a chance to participate in a mock auction and received PKL merchandise.
Speaking on behalf of Anupam Goswami, head Sports Leagues, Mashal Sports and league commissioner, Pro Kabaddi League, said, “I would like to thank all the PKL stakeholders for yet another exceptional PKL player auction. After witnessing a record eight players cross the 1 crore mark on Day 1, it was remarkable to see Category C players such as Ajith V Kumar and Jai Bhagwan attract strong bidding of over 60 Lakh on Day 2. I am extremely happy to see that all franchises have built well-balanced squads, which promises a highly competitive PKL Season 11.”
