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The seventh edition of the Pro Kabaddi League is all set to take center stage in July this year and as a lead-up to the tournament, the all-anticipated player auction will be held on the 8th of April 2019 in Mumbai.
With teams opting to retain a couple of 'New Young Players' in addition to the maximum of three elite players, the franchises will be looking to build a solid team around the retained core that will pave way for unmatched drama and excitement on the day of the auction.
Sparkling talent, Categories, and base prices
Ahead of the auctions, the twelve teams in the competition were given an option to retain up to six elite players [per team] that saw a total of 29 players, including the likes of Pawan Sehrawat, Pardeep Narwal, Deepak Niwas Hooda being retained by their franchises.
According to the latest release by the officials from the league's administration, a total of 19 players from the 'A' Category, 45 Category 'B' players and close to 70 'New Young Players' services will be up for grabs on the auction day.
In an exciting improvement to this auction, the purse has been increased to ₹4.4 Crore with each team also given the extra option of having a minimum of two foreign players to a maximum four foreign signings in their squad.
While the 'Final Bid Match' card added an extra dimension to the auctions with the teams playing the card to bring back some of their top performers last season, the exercising of the card for this season could also spring a few surprises.
What were some of the highlights from the previous auction?
The previous edition's player auction bore witness to a new record for the sport of Kabaddi as the Haryana Steelers penned down a mammoth ₹1.51 crore deal for star raider Monu Goyat, the costliest ever contract for a non-cricket sportsperson in India.
Apart from Goyat, other stalwarts such as Rahul Chaudhari (₹1.29 Cr), Deepak Niwas Hooda (₹1.15 crore), Nitin Tomar (₹1.15 Cr), Rishank Devadiga (₹1.11 Cr) struck massive deals while Fazel Atrachali became the first foreign signing to earn a ₹1 Cr contract.
With only Fazel Atrachali (U Mumba) and Deepak Niwas Hooda (Jaipur Pink Panthers) retained by the franchises from the members of the 'crorepati' club, the auction is certain to spark up some interest for the stars who have thrown their hat in the ring this time around.
However, the emergence of the 'New Young Players' category added a lot more excitement to the league last season as the likes of Naveen Kumar, Amit Sheoran amongst others made the most of their chance in the league and gave the veterans a run for their money with the skill sets they brought on to the mat.
Last season's best raider Siddharth Desai was also surprisingly released by U Mumba while Parvesh Bhainswal's defensive might could also attract large bids. Rishank Devadiga, Abozar Mighani, Vishal Bharadwaj are some other names who could end up earning a fat contract while the likes of Kashiling Adake, Shrikant Jadhav could see a steep increase in their contract from the previous season.
While the retention of the star players set to form the core of the respective franchises, it will be interesting to look out for how the teams go about building about the rest of the team with the players on offer, a strategic battle ahead of the big battle in July.
Additional Information
With a total of 13 countries, excluding India represented by athletes in this auction, players from across 19 states will also take part in the proceedings. Similar to the previous season, a squad should have a minimum of 18 players and a maximum of 25 players.
Where and When to watch, telecast details
Venue: Mumbai
Date: Monday, 8th April 2019.
Time: 4.30 PM onwards
Telecast: Star Sports
Get the PKL Auction Live Updates at Sportskeeda
