The first day of the 2019 Pro Kabaddi League auction was held on Monday, 8 April, in Mumbai. The two-day auction has 388 Indian and 53 foreign players going under the hammer.
The first session featured the foreign internationals and there were a handful of surprises among the 21 players that were sold.
Here’s a look at the 5 most expensive international players in the 2019 PKL auction:
1. Mohammad Esmail Nabibakhsh – ₹77.75 Lakh (Bengal Warriors)
The Iranian all-rounder was the most expensive international purchase of the 2019 auction. This will be his first stint in the league.
In 2018, Nabibakhsh was part of a historic Asian Games gold medal journey for his nation that involved defeating the erstwhile ‘invincible’ Indian team. He played an important role both at the heart of the defence and by leading in the raids.
2. Abozar Mohajer Mighani – ₹75 Lakh (Telugu Titans)
The first player named in the list, Abozar Mighani was at the top of every franchise’s wish list. The Iranian international who had earlier featured for Gujarat Fortunegiants has an impressive defensive record in the league.
In a total of 45 games, he has earned his side 122 points with an impressive 96.87 not out percentage.
3. Jang Kun Lee – ₹40 Lakh (Patna Pirates)
The biggest setback of all. For the first time since season one, Jang Kun Lee won’t be part of the Bengal Warriors. One of the key foreign players in the league since season one, the Korean international has a total of 433 points to his name in 90 PKL games. The star raider was pivotal to Korea’s win against India both at the 2016 World Cup and the 2018 Asian Games.
4. Saeed Ghaffari – ₹16.5 Lakh (Dabang Delhi KC)
A ruthless Iranian defensive prodigy, Saeed Ghaffari proved his mettle at the 2018 Asian Games. The youngster alongside the highly experienced duo of Atrachali and Mighani went on to hold all the attacking line-ups, including the seven-time champions, India.
He also clearly had done enough to impress the Indian scouts and will make his PKL debut with Delhi come July.
5. Hadi Oshtorak – ₹16 Lakh (Patna Pirates)
Another veteran Iranian who was in the list of highly demanded foreign internationals was 27-year-old Hadi Oshtorak. The all-rounder in his five seasons in PKL has a total of 76 points to his name in 50 games with a 64.28 not out percentage. Oshtorak can be the key to the revival of Patna Pirates after a devastating show last season.
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