PBL Auction Blog: HS Prannoy Most Expensive Player at Rs 62 Lakh

LIVE UPDATES from the Premier Badminton League auction where Sindhu, Saina, Marin are going under the hammer.

Prannoy Breaks The Bank!

India’s second-highest ranked men’s singles player has now become the Premier Badminton League’s most expensive star!

2017 has seen the 25-year-old HS Prannoy really come into his own on the circuit after he won the U.S Open Grand Prix Gold and reached the semi-finals of the Indonesia Open Super Series and the Japan open Super Series.

He becomes the most expensive player in the league after Kidambi Srikanth’s previous team Awadhe Warriors didn't let him enter the auction process and instead picked him for Rs 56,10,000. Till Prannoy went under the hammer, Srikanth had been the biggest buy.

China’s Tian Houwei is the biggest foreign sale so far, going to Delhi Acers for Rs 58 lakh.

Indian Players Find New Teams

A series of injuries last season has seen 31-year-old Parupalli Kashyap on the comeback trail this year and he will join Awadhe Warriors with Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth for Rs 20 lakh. His one notable performance this year has been a runner-up finish at the U.S Open Grand Prix Gold.

Another singles specialist, Ajay Jayaram, currently ranked 20th in the world, has been picked up by North Eastern Warriors for Rs 44 lakh. Ajay’s exploits this season include quarter-final appearances at the Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold and the Malaysia Open Super Series event.

2017 Indian Open Grand Prix Gold champion Sameer Verma has joined Mumbai Rockets for Rs 52 lakh.

Sai Praneeth was picked up by Bengaluru Blasters but Hyderabad Hunters used their “Right to Match” and retained him for Rs 40 lakh.

Tian Houwei Becomes League's Biggest Buy (So Far)

Among the players to have gone under the hammer so far, 25-year-old Tian Houwei has become the biggest buy of the 2018 Premier Badminton League.

Picked up by the Delhi Acers for Rs 58 lakh, the Chinese shuttler is the winner of the 2017 China Masters and the 2016 All England Championships silver medallist.

He will also be making his debut in the league this season.

Mumbai's Woman's Singles Player

World Number 11 Beiwen Zhang has joined Mumbai Rockets for Rs 33 lakh for her debut season in the league

Biggest Buy From Auction Proceedings

South Korea's 28-year-old doubles specialist Shin Baek Cheoul has become the biggest buy of the auction so far (since Srikanth never really went under the hammer today).

A 2016 India Open bronze medalist and the 2016 German Open Grand Prix champion, Shin Baek beats the earlier high price of Rs 52 lakh set by current men’s singles world number one Viktor Axelsen.

This is clearly the trend of the day - spend big on doubles players!

30-year-old Yoo Yeon Seong who’s ranked 92 in the world gets picked up by Hyderabad Hunters for Rs 53 lakh.