Pro Kabaddi League Auction 2019: Five most expensive players from the auction

Pro Kabaddi League Season 7 auctions ended on a good note with the franchises spending around Rs. 50 Cr on 200 players in the auction. The auction was held over 2 days, with Day 1 mainly involving the popular Kabaddi players across the globe while Day 2 was mostly used by the teams to fill out the gaps in the squad and also buy a few unsold players from Day 1.

Siddharth Desai and Nitin Tomar received the highest bids at the auction with the duo going for ₹1.45 Cr and ₹1.2 Cr respectively. While Siddarth will play for the Telugu Titans next season, Nitin Tomar will remain with the Puneri Paltan.

A few youngsters also made big money at the auctions with youngster Manjeet going for a whopping ₹63 Lakhs to Puneri Paltan. Veterans like Rahul Chaudhari and Surender Nada also went for big money at the auction while a few experienced players remained unsold.

With the purse of each team increased to ₹4.4 Cr before the auctions, big-money buys were expected to occur. Naturally, the salaries of a lot of players have increased from the previous auctions.

We have seen a number of top bids in the auction and here are the five most expensive players:

#5 Sandeep Narwal - ₹ 0.89 Cr (U Mumba)

Sandeep Narwal was retained by Puneri Paltan before the previous auctions and hence was not part of the event in 2018.

However, the 23-year-old was released by his franchise ahead of the upcoming season and the young all-rounder has made it big in the auctions. Narwal is a genuine right-cover defender who is more than a useful raider.

His physicality and quick instincts are an asset on the mat and hence, Sandeep was purchased for a big amount of ₹89 Lakhs by U Mumba in the auctions. Sandeep is also a good leader who has the ability to influence a game in a matter of a few minutes. Hence, it wouldn't be a surprise if Sandeep's performance next season will have an effect on his team's chances.

#4 Monu Goyat - ₹0.93 Cr (UP Yoddha)

Monu Goyat had a stellar season with the Patna Pirates in 2017. Hence, his stake rose which made him the costliest player in the previous auctions.

However, the talented player was released by his team ahead of the upcoming season which put the top-raider back into the auctions.

He has yet again made an impact at the auctions as he was purchased for ₹93 Lakhs by UP Yoddhas. He will surely be another player to look out for in the upcoming season.

#3 Rahul Chaudhari - ₹0.94 Cr (Tamil Thalaivas)

Rahul Chaudhari was picked up by the Telugu Titans in the previous auctions. However, the veteran was off-color last season which his release from the franchise ahead of the auctions.

Many expected that Rahul would go for a lesser price but the poster boy of PKL surprised many as he was picked up by Tamil Thalaivas for ₹94 Lakhs. Rahul has proved that experience is still valued in this game and he will now partner Ajay Thakur and Manjeet Chhillar at Tamil Thalaivas in what is expected to be a fiery trio.

#2 Nitin Tomar - ₹1.2 Cr (Puneri Paltan)

It is the third consecutive year that Nitin Tomar has commanded a huge bid at the PKL auctions, and was also the most expensive player in the 2017 auctions. The youngster, who played for Puneri Paltan in the previous season, was released by the franchise ahead of the auctions.

However, the star-raider has been retained by the franchise and Nitin will now earn a whopping ₹1.2 CR for the upcoming season.

Tomar has already played for India and with his experience in the PKL, he definitely deserves all the money which has been splurged on him.

#1 Siddharth Desai - ₹1.45 Cr (Telugu Titans)

Siddharth Desai had a breakthrough season last year when he was one of the best players for U Mumba. Despite playing in his debut campaign, Siddharth showed immense skills as a raider which caught the attention of Kabaddi lovers across the country.

He had a few injury concerns and hence, was not retained by his side for the upcoming season. It was expected that he would command a big bid in the auctions and he did just that as he was picked for a massive ₹1.45 Cr by Telugu Titans.

Siddharth Desai will now have big shoes to fill as he will be replacing Rahul Chaudhari in the Telugu Titans line-up.