As the much-anticipated PKL Auction 2021 kicked off in Mumbai yesterday, the players released and retained ahead of the eighth season threw up several surprises. All 12 teams will be aiming to rebuild their squad for the eighth season of the PKL, slated to take place in December.The auction pool comprises players released by their former teams and has additions from the domestic circuit and the New Young Players (NYP) category. Overseas players and those who have been a part of the 67th and 68th Senior National Kabaddi Championships are also part of the auction list.Everything you need to know about #vivoPKLPlayerAuction between 29th and 31st August 2021.Did your excitement double?Yes, ours did too. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/UbDd3gUvT0— ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) August 28, 2021Ahead of PKL Auction 2021, U Mumba had retained the highest number of players (4) in the Elite Retained Players (ERP) category. Meanwhile, Tamil Thalaivas and U.P. Yoddha are two franchises that have zero retention as ERPs.The Bengaluru Bulls have retained the 'Hi-Flyer' Pawan Sehrawat for PKL 8. Defending champions Bengal Warriors will look to make it two in a row with star raider Maninder Singh, left corner Rinku Narwal and Iranian Mohammad Nabibakhsh in the setup. The cover duo of Sunil Kumar and Parvesh Bhainswal will work as a rock-solid unit for Gujarat Giants for a third consecutive season.Abhishek Singh and Fazel Atrachali have made the cut for U Mumba for PKL 8. Patna Pirates have banked upon Neeraj Kumar, who was their find of PKL 7. Naveen Kumar (Dabang Delhi K.C.) and Nitesh Kumar (U.P. Yoddha) are two notable names in the Retained Young Players (RYP) category.Money left with each team for PKL Auction 2021All 12 teams can spend a total of ₹4.4 crores on building their squads for PKL 8. They can use FBM cards twice, as all franchisees are eligible to do so at PKL Auction 2021.The player auction pool comprises four different categories: Category A, B, C, and D. The base price of players in each category is as follows:Category A - ₹30 lakhsCategory B - ₹20 lakhsCategory C - ₹10 lakhsCategory D - ₹6 lakhsGet. Set. EIGHT! 🤯On a scale of 🔟 to 🔟 how excited are you for the #vivoProKabaddiPlayerAuction? We are 11! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/YXiGQZcucz— ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) August 29, 2021Tamil Thalaivas were quite generous with releasing players for the new season as they look to overhaul their squad for PKL 8, which has left them with the biggest purse of ₹4.16 crores. Telugu Titans are left with the second-best purse of ₹3.70 crores after the release of their most expensive player of PKL 7: Siddharth Desai, ahead of the auction.Meanwhile, U Mumba has the highest number of Elite Retained Players. Hence, they have the smallest budget of ₹1.92 crores in their kitty.Take a look at how different teams stack up ahead in the PKL auction.Bengal WarriorsPurse available: ₹2.11 croresPlayers retained (4): Maninder Singh, Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh, Rinku Narwal & Ravindra Ramesh KumawatBengaluru BullsPurse available: ₹2.89 croresPlayers retained (5): Pawan Sehrawat, Amit Sheoran, Saurabh Nandal, Banty & Mohit SehrawatDabang Delhi K.C.Purse available: ₹2.68 croresPlayers retained (6): Vijay, Neeraj Narwal, Naveen Kumar, Balram, Sumit & MohitGujarat GiantsPurse available: ₹2.59 croresPlayers retained (5): Parvesh Bhainswal, Sunil Kumar, Harmanjeet Singh, Sumit & AnkitHaryana SteelersPurse available: ₹3.17 croresPlayers retained (4): Vikash Kandola, Vinay, Vikas Chhillar & Chand SinghJaipur Pink PanthersPurse available: ₹3.27 croresPlayers retained (7): Amit Hooda, Vishal Lather, Nitin Rawal, Sachin Narwal, Pavan TR, Sushil Gulia & Elavarasan APatna PiratesPurse available: ₹3.54 croresPlayers retained (5): Neeraj Kumar, Monu, Sahil Mann, Rajveersinh Pratap Rao Chavan & MohitPuneri PaltanPurse available: ₹3.44 croresPlayers retained (5): Balasaheb Shahaji Jadhav, Pawan Kumar Kadian, Hadi Tajik, Sanket Sawant & Pankaj MohitePlayers bought (2): Mohit Goyat & Govind GurjarTamil ThalaivasPurse available: ₹4.16 croresPlayers retained (3): Sagar, Himanshu & M AbishekTelugu TitansPurse available: ₹3.70 croresPlayers retained (6): Rakesh Gowda, Ankit Beniwal, Rajnish, Manish, Akash Choudhary & Akash Dattu ArsulPlayers bought (1): PrinceU MumbaPurse available: ₹1.92 croresPlayers retained (5): Abhishek Singh, Ajinkya Rohidas Kapare, Harendra Kumar, Fazel Atrachali & NavneetUP YoddhaPurse available: ₹3.61 croresPlayers retained (4): Nitesh Kumar, Sumit Sangwan, Ashu Singh & Surinder GillPlayers bought (1): Nitin Panwar