New Delhi: The two-day Pro Kabaddi League 2024 auction commenced on Thursday, August 15, at the Jio Convention Centre in Mumbai. With more than 500 players registered for the auction of season 11, 24 of them went under the hammer on the first day with 20 of them attracting bids from the 12 franchises around the table.
Eight of the 20 players sold on Thursday fetched more than a core in Indian rupees (INR) with Rajasthan-born Sachin Tanwar being the most expensive pick of the day. Here are the top five most expensive picks on Day 1 of PKL 2024 auction below:
1. Sachin Tanwar – 2.15 crores (Tamil Thalaivas)
Sachin Tanwar was sold for a massive sum of 2.15 crores to Tamil Thalaivas, making him the most expensive buy on the first day of PKL 2024 auction. The former Patna Pirates raider became the second most expensive player to be sold in the history of PKL auction after star raider Pawan Sehrawat.
Telugu Titans were the first to bid for the 25-year-old Indian player before UP Yoddhas joined them in a brief bidding war. Gujarat Giants replaced the Titans to challenge UP Yoddhas for Sachin’s services. Tami Thalaivas joined the battle at 1.60 crore with the Gujarat outfit taking a back step. Thalaivas and Yoddhas engaged in an intriguing contest before the former sealed the deal
2. Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh – 2.07 crores (Haryana Steelers)
After guiding Puneri Paltan to their maiden title last season, the Iranian all-rounder was always going to be in demand not just for his game skills but also leadership on the mat. The 23-year-old Shadloui was the first player of PKL 2024 auction to seek bids.
It was Telugu Titans to raise the paddle first at the base price of 30 lakh for the A category player. A challenge from Patna Pirates didn’t last for long with UP Yoddhas chipping in with a bid of 80 lakh. UP and Telugu franchise were involved in a good contest for while, taking the bidding past 1 crore. Then came U Mumba at 1.17 crores to join UP Yoddhas in the race but the latter bowed out soon.
It wasn’t a deal for U Mumba after Gujarat Giants showed interest with a bid of 1.30 crore. Both these teams aimed to outsmart each other but then there was a twist. Haryana Steelers enters the market with a fresh challenge of 1.77 crore to Gujarat Giants. The two engage in an intense bidding war before the Steelers have the last laugh as the Iranian youngster was sold for 2.07 crores.
3. Guman Singh – 1.97 crores (Gujarat Giants)
Guman Singh became the fourth most expensive Indian player in the Pro Kabaddi League auction history. The Indian raider fetched 1.97 crores from Gujarat Giants with Telugu Titans, Bengal Warriorz, and UP Yoddhas also showing interests.
Guman started his PKL journey with Jaipur Pink Panthers in 2019 and later moved to Patna Pirates. His last two seasons were spent with U Mumba. He has played 18 PKL matches and earned 168 points, including 163 raid points.
4. Pawan Sehrawat – 1.725 crores (Telugu Titans)
After finishing as the most expensive player of PKL in the last two seasons, Pawan Sehrawat didn’t breach the 2 crore-mark this time. He was roped in by Telugu Titans for an amount of 1.725 crores, availing the Final Bid Match (FBM) card. However, the ace Indian raider remains the most expensive buy in the PKL auction history after Telugu Titans purchased him for a whopping sum of 2.6 crore in last season.
5. Bharat Hooda – 1.30 crores (UP Yoddhas)
UP Yoddhas will have a new face in their attack with Bharat Hooda joining them through the auction. After releasing Pardeep Narwal from their squad ahead of the auction, it was big shoes for the Yoddhas to fill an attacker of the Dubki King’s stature. In Bharat Hooda, they couldn’t have asked for anything better with the Haryana-born kabaddi player fetching 1.30 crores in the PKL 2024 auction.
(More to follow)
Eight of the 20 players sold on Thursday fetched more than a core in Indian rupees (INR) with Rajasthan-born Sachin Tanwar being the most expensive pick of the day. Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
