Over two days, 118 players went under the hammer in the auctions for the Pro Kabaddi League’s eleventh edition in Mumbnai. A record eight players crossed the ₹1 crore mark for the first time in the league’s history with raider Sachin Tanwar emerging as the top buy this season.
Tamil Thalaivas secured the Indian’s services for a whopping ₹2.07 crore. Sachin left behind superstars like Iranian Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh (Haryana Steelers – ₹2.07 cr) and Pawan Sehrawat (Telugu Titans - ₹1.725 cr).
Day two of the auction was key in how teams built squads around these marquee players.
Most notably, South Korean raider Jang-Kun Lee — picked up by Patna Pirates for ₹17.50 lakh — is set to return to the PKL after four seasons.
However, Rahul Chaudhari — one of the earliest superstars of Indian kabaddi in the PKL era — failed to find takers this time. Inconsistent performances over the past four seasons have seen him fall out of favour.
Tamil Nadu raider V. Ajith Kumar was the most expensive player on day two, going for ₹66 lakh to Puneri Paltan while Rajasthan’s Jai Bhagwan earned a ₹63 lakh bid from Bengaluru Bulls.
Every team was given a budget of ₹5 crore for the auction. Haryana Steelers came closest to exhausting its purse, ultimately spending ₹4.99 crore in setting up its squad.
Top five buys in 2024 (in ₹ crore): Sachin Tanwar to Tamil Thalaivas - 2.15, Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh to Haryana Steelers - 2.07, Guman Singh to Gujarat Giants - 1.97, Pawan Sehrawat to Telugu Titans - 1.725, Bharat Hooda to UP Yoddhas - 1.30.
Published - August 16, 2024 10:02 pm IST
