Pro Kabaddi League: PKL releases player auction teaser for season 8

Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) will be back in action for its 8th season this year. The season was originally scheduled for 2020, but it got postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before the 12 teams get down to action, there will be a player auction. PKL's official Twitter handle dropped a hint that the player auction is scheduled to happen soon.

The wait is over... 👀 pic.twitter.com/bAhozd6HsT

— ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) August 1, 2021

The previous player auction took place in Mumbai in 2019 ahead of season seven of the league. The player auction saw the 12 franchises splurge a total of INR 50 crore to by 200 Indian and foreign players.

Siddharth Desai was the highest earner from that player's auction. He was bought for a whooping INR 1.45 crore by the Telugu Titans. Another Indian player who walked away with a hefty paycheck from that player's auction was Nitin Tomar. Puneri Paltan broke the bank to buy Nitin Tomar for INR 1.20 crore. Siddharth Desai and Nitin Tomar were the only players who fetched over INR 1 crore.

Iran's Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh was the highest earning foreign player. The Bengal Warriors earned his services after they shelled out INR 77.75 lakh for Nabibakhsh.

Which teams have won the PKL?

Bengal Warriors are the defending champions of PKL. The Patna Pirates are the most successful franchise in the history of the league. They won season 3, season 4 and season 5 of the league.

The Patna Pirates are also the first team to play 100 PKL matches. Jaipur Pink Panthers, U Mumba and Bengaluru Bulls have won the PKL title once each.

Dabang Delhi, Gujarat Fortunegiants, Haryana Steelers, Puneri Paltan, Tamil Thalaivas, Telgu Titans and UP Yodhas are the other seven competing teams in the league. These teams are yet to win their maiden PKL title.

In April 2021, the first media rights auction was held since the inception of the league. Star India retained the rights by winning to broadcast PKL from season 8 to season 12.