The tournament that has changed the sheer fabric of the age-old sport of kabaddi in India is back. Enthralling audiences since its inception in 2014, Star Sports Pro Kabaddi is set to renew the excitement in the fans from 25 June.
In order to make the tournament more competitive and exciting, the organizers decided to mix up the teams as all players bar two from each team went into the auction pool. Nearly 200 players went into the auction, which was held around two months before the tournament. In the end, the 8 teams bought 96 players while spending over Rs 15.6 crores.
Iranian Hadi Oshtorak, at Rs 21.1 lakhs, was the most expensive player ahead of the auction. However, that record was broken multiple times at the auction as each of the top 10 most expensive players fetched record prices.
Let's take a look at the 5 most expensive players in Star Sports Pro Kabaddi history:
5) Jasmer Singh Gulia (Telugu Titans) – Rs 35.5 lakhs
For a colossal Rs 35.5 lakhs, the Telugu Titans secured the services of former Puneri Paltan star Jasmer Singh Gulia. The experienced all-rounder spent one season with the Paltan while he donned the Dabang Delhi jersey for the first two editions of the tournament.
The 33-year-old is a war-hardened veteran, having been an integral part of each of the teams he has played for. With the departure of the experienced Dharmaraj Cheralathan, the Titans needed somebody to help youngsters in their journey and they brought in the much sought-after Jasmer. The young Sandeep Narwal and Sandeep Dhull will look to learn as much as they can from Jasmer, who has played in 33 matches so far, scoring a total of 93 points, with 86 of them coming in defence.
The Titans have invested heavily in their defensive department and the former Delhi and Pune player will be expected to lend his experience to the team.
4) Fazel Atrachali (Patna Pirates) – Rs 38 lakhs
The Iranian captain was a revelation last season when he finally announced himself on the big stage with his performances with three-time finalists U Mumba. The 24-year-old kept experienced defenders Surender Nada and Vishal Mane out of the team as he led U Mumba to the finals for the third time in as many seasons.
The left corner defender was the subject of a battle in the auction, which Patna Pirates won after agreeing to pay Rs 38 lakhs for his services. With this bid, he overtook Meraj Sheykh and Hadi Oshtorak as the most expensive Iranian kabaddi player in the tournament's history.
With the departure of Sandeep Narwal and Sunil Kumar, it will be up to Fazel to lead the defensive department for the defending champions.
3) Jeeva Kumar (U Mumba) – Rs 40 lakhs
Having managed to keep most of their players in the initial three seasons, U Mumba finally underwent an overhaul in the auction ahead of the fourth season. However, apart from the retained players, one name they were unwilling to let go of, was the pocket-sized-dynamo Jeeva Kumar.
The Season 2 winners had to part with Rs 40 lakhs to buy back their trusted lieutenant, who has been a U Mumba player throughout his Pro Kabaddi career. The 35-year-old brings genuine quality to the kabaddi mat for his team apart from years of experience. Jeeva has been a rock at the back for U Mumba for 38 matches in Star Sports Pro Kabaddi and amassed 85 defence points in the previous 3 seasons.
With the loss of Surender Nada, Mohit Chhillar and Fazel Atrachali, coach Bhaskaran Edachery will be glad he can count on Jeeva to be a part of his new-look team in the upcoming season.
2) Sandeep Narwal (Telugu Titans) – Rs 45.5 lakhs
The best defender from last season, Sandeep Narwal, was always going to fetch one of the highest prices after Patna Pirates opted not to retain his services for the upcoming season. Patna's loss turned out to be Telugu Titans' gain as they shook off competition from all the other teams to sign the youngster for the upcoming season. The Titans showed their determination to sign Sandeep by bidding Rs 45.5 lakhs at the auction to blow the competition out of the water.
Along with bags of talent, Sandeep brings with him excellent leadership skills, which were on display in the absence of Manpreet Singh in Patna's title-winning campaign. An all-rounder by trade, Sandeep is equally adept at raiding as he is at defending, which he proved in the 46 matches played so far, scoring 147 raid points and 119 defence points.
Having retained two promising raiders in Rahul Chaudhari and Sukesh Hegde, Telugu Titans spent heavily for defensive recruits and young Sandeep will perfectly complement the experienced Jasmer in defence while also helping out his new teammates in raids.
1) Mohit Chhillar (Bengaluru Bulls) – Rs 53 lakhs
And the most expensive player in Star Sports Pro Kabaddi history is...Mohit Chhillar! The former U Mumba starlet fetched Rs 53 lakhs in the recently concluded auction. Last season's whipping boys, Bengaluru Bulls, finally moved away from their strategy of developing youngsters and spent big at the auction.
Despite being just 22 years old, Mohit Chhillar has played in 43 matches so far and had gained enough experience ahead of his first ever transfer. With a massive 123 defence points in the first 3 seasons, Bengaluru Bulls will be hoping a lot from their new signing.
Mohit, along with captain Surender Nada, will ensure the Bulls' defence holds firm as the team looks to bounce back after last season's disappointment.
