The promise of “bigger and better” is one that Pro Kabaddi League organisers have been able to fulfil each and every season. In its fifth year this time round, the tournament is taking things one step further; having added four new teams, a new sponsor and clearly, much better paid kabaddi stars.
The 2017 players auction took place in New Delhi on 21 and 22 May and reflecting the league’s success, Nitin Tomar became PKL’s highest-ever purchase, going to Team UP for Rs 93 lakh. Team UP being one of the four new franchises, along with Haryana, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat.
Across the two days, a total of Rs 46.99 crore was spent by the 12 franchises and total of 227 players went under the hammer.
This is a new chapter in the history of VIVO Pro Kabaddi, our largest ever player auction with an enormous auction purse and the biggest talent pool, from all over the country and the rest of the world.Anupam Goswami, League Commissioner - Pro Kabaddi League.
Apart from big paydays for kabaddi stars, the PKL too has entered the big leagues. IPL title sponsor VIVO has stepped in as the title sponsor for the tournament, paying Rs 300 crore for a five year deal. For context, their two-year contract with the IPL was worth Rs 200 crore.
Day 1 Big Buys
Day 1 of the auction saw as much as Rs 27.27 crore being spent by the teams with 60 players finding a new “home”. Nitin Tomar started at a base price of Rs 20 lakh but after a massive bidding war, went to the new franchise from UP for Rs 93 lakh.
For context, the biggest buy of season one, Rakesh Kumar, was picked up for Rs 12.80 lakh. Four years later, Tomar was snapped up for 626 percent of that.
It’s a dream come true. All my family members are happy. I am grateful to Team UP for investing in me. This is quite exciting and motivating, and it shows my team’s belief in me.Nitin Tomar, Team UP
Besides Nitin, Rohit Kumar was bought by Bengaluru Bulls for Rs 81 lakh and Manjeet Chhillar went to Abhishek Bachchan’s Jaipur Pink Panthers for Rs 75.5 lakh.
Also Read: Pro Kabaddi’s Biggest-Ever Buy, Nitin Tomar Bought For Rs 93 Lakh
Foreign Buys
Among the overseas stars, Iran's Abozar Mohajermighani created a record, going for Rs 50 lakh to Team Gujarat.
Besides Abozar, other foreign players who attracted good bids at last night's auction are Iran's Abolfazel Maghsodlo (Delhi, Rs 31.8 lakh) and Iran's Farhad Rahimi Milaghardhan (Telugu Titans, Rs 29 lakh).
Young Stars
Promising raider Suraj Desai emerged the most expensive buy on the second day of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) auction, which saw the players under Categories C and D going under the hammer on Tuesday.
Desai was purchased by Dabang Delhi for Rs 52.5 lakh while defender Jaideep was the second costliest player of the day at Rs 50 lakh bought by the Patna Pirates.
Telugu Titans strengthened their attack with the services of Nilesh Salunke for Rs 49 lakh. Nilesh was a vital part of Titans' squad in the last four seasons. Both Rahul Chaudhari and Nilesh were unbeatable throughout in the fourth season of the PKL.
The Day 1 of the auction was preceded by a draft pick for new young players, scouted from across the country. The first three to be selected were Rohit Gulia (19), Bhavani Rajput (22) and Mayur Shivtarkar (21).
The second day of the auction will see Indian players from category A, B, C and D, as franchises begin to see their teams take shape before the season begins on 28 July across 12 cities, with over 130 matches across 13 weeks.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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