Franchises break the bank at PKL Auction
A day after Sachin Tanwar and Iran’s Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh emerged as the costliest buys, it was time for Ajith, Jai Bhagwan, Arjun and Mohd Amaan to hog the limelight as the duo emerged as the most expensive players in Category C and D.
MUMBAI: Ajith V Kumar, Jai Bhagwan and Arjun Rathi secured handsome pay cheques as franchise owners spent a total of Rs 16 crore on the second day of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Player Auction here on Friday.
A day after Sachin Tanwar and Iran’s Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh emerged as the costliest buys, it was time for Ajith, Jai Bhagwan, Arjun and Mohd Amaan to hog the limelight as the duo emerged as the most expensive players in Category C and D.
While Ajith was acquired by Puneri Paltan for Rs 66 lakh, Jai Bhagwan was bought by Bengaluru Bulls for Rs 63 Lakh in Category C.
In category D, Arjun was fetched by Bengal Warriorz for Rs 41 Lakh, while 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.
The 12 franchises went toe-to-toe in the Player Auction, spending a total of Rs 33.7 crores to get the services of the most sought-after Kabaddi players.
On day one, Sachin was snapped up for Rs 2.15 crore by the Tamil Thalaivas, while Iranian superstar Mohammadreza crossed the 2-crore mark once again after he was acquired by Haryana Steelers for Rs 2.07 Crore, making him the first international player to get more than Rs 2 Crore in consecutive years.
As many as six more players rewrote the record books as they all landed a deal in excess of Rs 1 crore with the franchises splurging Rs 17.782 crores on the opening day of auction.
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,” he added in a release.
In the last two days, as many as 118 players were sold during the Player Auction.
The 11th season is likely to begin in October this year.
Puneri Paltan had emerged champion after beating Haryana Steelers in PKL Season 10.