 "Pro Kabaddi League: Sachin the most expensive buy as records tumble in PKL Player Auction")
Records tumbled in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Player Auction that took place in Mumbai on Thursday and Friday with eight players fetching bids in crores for the first time in the tournament’s history.
Sachin emerged the most expensive player in the auction, with Tamil Thalaivas acquiring him for a whopping amount of Rs 2.15 crore. The raider who was previously with the Patna Pirates thus became the fourth-most expensive player in PKL history besides being the most expensive buy in the Season 11 auction.
Iranian all-rounder Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh attracted the next highest bid in the auction, with Haryana Steelers shelling out Rs 2.07 crore for his services. Shadloui thus became the sixth player to join the 2-crore club in the PKL, and is the only one other than Telugu Titans’ Pawan Sehrawat to attract bids in excess of Rs 2 crore more than once.
The auction witnessed a total of 118 players getting sold to 12 franchises over the course of two days.
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 while Jai Bhagwan was bought by Bengaluru Bulls for Rs 63 Lakh.
Arjun Rathi emerged as the most expensive player in Category D after he was acquired by Bengal Warriorz for Rs 41 Lakh. Furthermore, Mohd. Amaan found a place in the Puneri Paltan team for Rs 16.2 lakh and Stuwart Singh was bought for Rs 14.2 lakh by U Mumba.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsSpeaking on behalf of Mr. 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.”
Namma do-or-die expert Sachin ah Thalaivas & Co ku welcome pannunga!#GiveItAllMachi | #IdhuNammaTeam | #TamilThalaivas | #ProKabaddi pic.twitter.com/ktbPcVvnhG
— Tamil Thalaivas (@tamilthalaivas) August 15, 2024
Star raider of the Player Auction Sachin spoke about being sold to Tamil Thalaivas for Rs 2.15 crore — the highest bid in this year’s Player Auction, “I didn’t expect my bid to be so high. It feels really good to join the Tamil Thalaivas. This is certainly a life-changing moment for me. The team has put faith in my abilities and I’ll certainly give my best in the upcoming season.”
Meanwhile, Hi-Flyer Pawan, who returned to Telugu Titans for Rs 1.725 Crore, said, “I knew that the Telugu Titans would utilize the FBM card for me. I couldn’t carry out the job that I was bought for in the last season, but I’ve received another chance to complete my unfinished business with the franchise. I have worked with Telugu Titans’ new Head Coach Krishna Kumar Hooda before and I had a great experience playing under him. He’s an experienced coach and he knows how to make his raiders perform.”
Key takeaways from PKL Season 11 player auction:
— Eight players crossed the 1 crore mark for the first time in PKL history.
— Sachin (Tamil Thalaivas – Rs 2.15 Crore) emerged as the most expensive player.
— Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh (Haryana Steelers – Rs 2.07) emerged as the most expensive foreign player.
Now Presenting: The TOP 5️⃣ buys from PKL Season 11 Player Auction 🔥#PKL #ProKabaddiLeague #PKLPlayerAuction #ProKabaddi #PKLAuctionOnStar pic.twitter.com/8yQ5C05cWK
— ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) August 16, 2024
— Sunil Kumar (U Mumba - Rs 1.015 Crore) became the most expensive Indian defender ever.
— Among the Category C players, Ajith V Kumar emerged as the highest bid, attracting an amount of Rs 66 Lakh from Puneri Paltan.
— Among the Category D players, Arjun Rathi emerged as the highest bid, attracting an amount of Rs 41 from Bengal Warriorz.
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