MUMBAI: The Pro Kabaddi League set records on Wednesday, Day 1 of the two-day auction in Mumbai, ahead of Season VI.
With each team having a purse of Rs 40 million, as many as six players were bid for a price at or above Rs 10 million for the first time ever in the league’s history.
In order of price paid they are – Monu Goyat, sold to Haryana Steelers at Rs 15.1 million; Rahul Chaudhari, retained by Telugu Titans via FBM for Rs 12.9 million; Nitin Tomar, picked by Puneri Paltan for Rs 11.5 million; Deepak Niwas Hooda, bought by Jaipur Pink Panthers for the same price of Rs 11.5 million; Rishank Devadiga, who went to UP Yoddha for Rs 11.1 million; and finally, Fazel Atrachali, secured by U Mumba for exactly Rs 10 million.
Iranian star Atrachali will be remembered as the first ever Kabaddi player to hit the Rs 10 million mark, as U Mumba were aggressive enough to buy him back at the landmark setting price. Atrachali went past Tomar, who was the most expensive buy in 2017, as UP Yoddha had paid Rs 9.3 million for him last season.
Atrachali, who is in Iran at present, expressed his delight at the development over a telephone call. “I am very happy to be back in my second home – U Mumba. I have immense respect for the U- Mumba team because it is where it all began for me. The fact that I beat the record for the highest bid player in VIVO Pro Kabaddi is truly an incredible feeling,” the Iranian said.
For the record, when it came to the overseas players, U Mumba snapped up two more Iranians, Hadi Tajik and Abolfazl Maghsodloumahali respectively.
Team owner Ronnie Screwvala said that their strategy of having a strong overseas contingent was a planned one due to the presence of Iran’s former national coach Golan Raza signed on as the team gaffer for this season. He believes that fitness, consistency and defence were the areas of focus for U Mumba in the auction.
The action around Atrachali was just the first act of what was to be a record shattering evening on the salary stakes for India’s second most watched league after the IPL. Top Indian players such as Tomar were in demand, bought for Rs 11.5 million by Puneri Paltan.
In a massive surprise however, it was Goyat, the raider who featured in Patna Pirates’ winning campaign in the last season, who became the most expensive player in the history of the Pro Kabaddi League as the Haryana Steelers availed his services for a whopping Rs 15.1 million.
Goyat overshadowed the likes of much more experienced campaigners such as Hooda, Chaudhari and Devadiga, who were also bought for prices above Rs 10 million.
“I am extremely happy to be the highest paid player this season, there is a huge responsibility to deliver and I am glad to receive this opportunity. I will now focus on increasing the standard of my game and playing the best, I can,” the Haryana raider said after his bid.
Mustafa Ghouse, CEO of Haryana Steelers, said that Goyat was always on their radar, after their consultation with coaches who believed that he had the abilities to become the No.1 raider of the team this season. Although he is considered to be under-rated, Ghouse rubbished suggestions of him being overpriced as he opined that quality raiders are in demand.
Goyat surpasses Chhetri
Another milestone Goyat achieved Wednesday when he became the most expensive player to be sold at the Pro Kabaddi League 2018 auction was that he surpassed Indian football great Sunil Chhetri as the costliest non-cricketer in professional sports leagues in the country. The India football captain, who plays for Bengaluru FC in the Indian Super League, earns Rs 15 million, Rs 100,000 less than what Monu will get now.
Footnote: While the Rs 40 million team purse was seen as sufficient by all the 12 teams in competing in Pro Kabaddi last year, the kind of bidding this year is not just a testament to the financial strength of the league, but also a clear indicator that next year, there will be an increased salary purse available to the respective franchises.
