Planned well before breaking bank for Pawan: Thalaivas coach

CHENNAI: Tamil Thalaivas head coach J Udaya Kumar on Saturday said that the franchise planned meticulously before breaking the bank for ace raider Pawan Sehrawat.

On Day 1 – Friday – of the Pro Kabaddi Season 9 auction in Mumbai, Thalaivas spent an astonishing Rs 2.26 crore – more than half of the total purse – on Pawan, who is now the most expensive player in the league’s history. Pawan has been a top performer for a few years now and will undoubtedly strengthen the Thalaivas raiding department.

“We put a lot of thought into this (buying Pawan). We saw how hard he worked even in the last season. Even that helped us decide [to go big for him],” said Udaya Kumar at a press conference in Mumbai on Saturday.

“We also worked hard on finding young talent and players for the team. That is why we were able to break the bank and get a player of the calibre of Pawan,” added Udaya Kumar, who is into his third season with Thalaivas as chief coach.

On his part, Pawan said: “I am very happy that the coach and management have put a lot of faith in me. When I hear such praise and see such faith bestowed on me, I get even more motivated to find new gears in my game.”

Meanwhile, PKL League Commissioner Anupam Goswami revealed that the 10th edition would have a higher purse amount. The franchises were allowed to spend a maximum of Rs 4.4 crore on players for the upcoming ninth season. “The player purse will surely increase,” said Anupam at a presser.

PLAYERS PURCHASED BY TAMIL THALAIVAS AT AUCTION: Pawan Sehrawat (Rs 2.26 crore), V Visvanath (Rs 12.8 lakh), Thanushan Laxmamohan (O) (Rs 10 lakh), Md. Arif Rabbani (O) (Rs 10 lakh), Ankit (Rs 10 lakh), Arpit Saroha (Rs 8.2 lakh) and K Abhimanyu (Rs 6 lakh). Note: Thalaivas had 11 players in its squad prior to the auction