PKL Auction 2021 Highlights of Day 1: List of players sold, 4 NYP players signed across 12 franchises

Four NYP players were sold on Day 1 of the PKL Auction 2021.

Right then folks, that's all we have for you all today. Not much interest shown by the franchises in the New Young Players as only four out of nearly a hundred NYPs find teams for the eighth edition of the Pro Kabaddi League. Stay tuned to Sportskeeda for the latest news and don't forget to join us back tomorrow afternoon as the foreign players will go under the hammer followed by the much-awaited auction of the Category A players! Until tomorrow then, this is me (Maanas Upadhyay) along with Prasen Moudgal and Farzan Mohamed bidding you adieu! Stay home, stay safe!

The 4⃣ players picked in #NYP draft:

> @PuneriPaltan has picked Mohit Goyat & Govind Gurjar
> @Telugu_Titans has picked Prince
> @UpYoddha has picked Nitin Panwar

We'll be back tomorrow. Stay tuned to our page. #UMumba | #Mumboys | #MeMumba | #AuctionSpeak | #AamchaMumBoys
— U Mumba (@U_Mumba) August 29, 2021

All-rounder Nitin Panwar will ply his trade for U.P. Yoddha in season 8

Prince will don the Telugu Titans jersey for season 8.

Govind Gurjar, the talented all-rounder, has been signed by the Puneri Paltan.

Mohit Goyat has been drafted by the Puneri Paltan

Right then, folks! Just about 10 minutes to go for the NYP draft to commence! Stick around to Sportskeeda for all the live updates from PKL Auction 2021

Maanas Upadhyay: Well that is definitely a prediction that might come true! With a limited purse of INR 4.4 Crore which is further reduced after taking retentions into consideration, teams very well could be conservative in their approach and think before impulsively bidding on players.

My bold prediction for the auction is that we might not see the FBM card being used on star players such as Pardeep Narwal and Siddharth Desai. With some franchises looking to completely revamp their sides, we could see Pardeep Narwal don a different coloured jersey for PKL 8.

Prasen Moudgal: I think that question is the answer to the puzzling strategy employed by the teams to let go of some of their proven performers. If you have a look at the retained players' list, barring Fazel Atrachali (Who doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon), the rest of the names are pretty young. That could be the way to go for the franchises in this auction, and that's why my bold prediction for this PKL Auction is - No player will be bought for more than INR 1 Crore.

It could come back to bite me, but with the quality of players in the auction, there will be more than just a Plan B or a Plan C. Do you guys have any bold predictions?

Maanas Upadhyay: An interesting fact to ponder upon would be that a lot of the youngsters outperformed some of the big names in the previous edition. Along with age on their side, the young players have an increased level of fitness and agility. However, lack of experience might plague their performances in crunch situations. With a big season approaching, do you guys feel franchises will be turning towards the youngsters at this auction or will they go for the seasoned campaigners, who might face injury concerns as the league progresses?

Maanas Upadhyay: The New Young Players were indeed impressive in the last edition. Raiders such as Vinay, Pankaj Mohite, Arjun Deshwal and Surinder Gill had a terrific run throughout the season while Sumit was in fantastic form for the UP Yoddha outfit, finishing as the second highest tackle points scorer. A few NYPs were retained ahead of the auction and one can certainly keep an eye out for whose name sparks a bidding war, as they could turn out to be the next big thing in kabaddi.

Farzan: Siddharth Desai has been a standout player since he made his debut for U Mumba during PKL season 6. Last season, he impressed with 220 points for the Telegu Titans. I have a strong feeling that a few teams would raise the bid for the 29-year old raider. One can expect him to fetch good money this year as well.

PKL Auction 2021: 5 things to watch out for

Prasen Moudgal: Some exciting talents will go under the hammer today though, under the NYP category that has produced some quality players such as last season's MVP, Naveen Kumar. Any particular players you guys have an eye on today?

Prasen Moudgal: Siddharth's exclusion isn't as surprising as Pardeep's, with the former only two seasons young in the PKL. He's made quite a name for himself in those two seasons itself though, with 220 and 221 points in PKL 6 and PKL 7 respectively.

It seems like the Titans have invested in some relatively unknown talents ahead of the auction though, and I've got a feeling they will want an experienced raiders in their ranks. Going by the talent pool that's on offer, I'm not sure they'd look towards Siddharth for another season unless it's only a price reduction they are looking for.

Maanas Upadhyay: Well I feel Patna Pirates will definitely be looking to get Narwal back. However, should rival franchises go all out and bid an enormous amount on him (which just might be the case given his stature), even the Patna management will be forced to have a look at their finances before raising their FBM card. With Tamil Thalaivas and Telugu Titans having large purses, we could see a record-breaking bid for the Record Breaker. Speaking of breaking records, Siddharth Desai's exclusion too has been a surprise. Which franchise do you think will the Bahubali move to this season?

Farzan: First of all, Patna Pirates not retaining Pardeep Narwal was a shock to me. However, I feel they'll look to get him back to the side using the FMB card. No team will leave out such an important player who can fetch you a good number of points every game, so the Pirates will look to get back the services of Pardeep at a lower cost.

Prasen Moudgal: Hey Maanas! Good to have you hear mate, going to be an awesome three days of PKL a(u)ction! Patna's decision to release Pardeep has come as a surprise to me honestly, given he's single-handedly been a driving force in the side and also orchestrated three title wins. That said though, his price has obviously risen up over the years, and I have a feeling the Pirates will exercise their 'FMB' card to get him back, if not looking to buy him back directly. He's been their trump card, so they owe him that, I guess? What do you feel?

Maanas Upadhyay: Right then, it is that time of the year again. The masterminds who work behind the scenes will engage in a battle of wits in a bid to assemble a title-winning squad. Some questions do arise on taking a look at the retentions. What do you make of Patna Pirates' strategy of not renewing talismanic raider Pardeep Narwal's contract?

Welcome folks! Just over an hour remains for the commencement of the much-awaited Pro Kabaddi League Auction 2021 and the excitement for the event has reached fever pitch!

The anticipations surrounding the retentions were put to an end by the franchises recently. However, the decisions made by the team managements were questioned, discussed and analysed incessantly by fans and pundits. The release of some stalwarts such as Dubki King Pardeep Narwal, Showman Rahul Chaudhari and Indian national kabaddi team skipper Deepak Niwas Hooda. While all of these big names are slated to go under the hammer tomorrow, Day 1 of the auction will present the franchises with the opportunity of acquiring some talented youngsters.

With a long season on the cards, the twelve sides will look to bolster their side and add some New Young Players who can turn out to be potential match-winners for them. There are a plethora of New Young Players on offer, with close to a hundred being all set to be auctioned today. However, not every one of them will find franchises. Who has impressed teams the most? Who's name will attract attention and who's name will be discarded? All shall be revealed in just over an hour!
Stay tuned as we at Sportskeeda take you through all that unfolds on Day 1 of the PKL Auction 2021!

PKL Auction 2021: Which players have been retained by the teams?

We're now only a little more than a hour and a half away from the commencement of the PKL Auction! As we wait, have a quick look at all the players who have been retained across the 12 franchises! 👆

PKL Auction 2021: 5 teams that need a captain

Numerous PKL stars have made a name for themselves with commanding performances in the Pro Kabaddi League! That said though, which of these teams need a captain? 🤔

PKL Auction 2021 - 5 unexpected retentions by teams ahead of the auction

MANY big names were released ahead of the auction, but more importantly, there were some surprising retentions by the 12 franchises! Take a look at some of them! 👆👀

PKL Auction 2021: All you need to know about the auction for PKL 8

Right. So less than 5 hours before we're underway with the PKL auction! If you want to know anything about all the action for the upcoming three days, look no further!

PKL Auction 2021: Top 10 costliest players list from Pro Kabaddi auction history

The PKL Auctions have more often than not stirred up quite a few surprises, mostly with star names crossing the INR 1 Crore mark! Take a look at the 10 costliest players from PKL auction history! 👆🤩

PKL Auction 2021: What is the 'FBM Card' in Pro Kabaddi League?

The FBM card will be an interesting element of the Pro Kabaddi auction! If you want to know what it means, look no further!

PKL Auction 2021: Ranking the 12 squads after retentions

While a host of big names have been released, including the likes of Pardeep Narwal, Rahul Chaudhari among others, some squads still have star players in them. Pawan Sehrawat was retained by the Bengaluru Bulls, while Fazel Atrachali signed another contract with U Mumba.

Take a look at how we've ranked the squads after the retentions! 👆

Day 2 of the draft will certainly be the one that most fans will be looking forward to, with the foreign and Category A players going under the hammer. The twelve sides will engage in a bidding war to snap up the best of the best. Lastly, Day 3 will cap off the auction, with categories B, C and D players being auctioned along with the unsold players should the franchise wish to pick them. As for the auction purses, the Tamil Thalaivas will go in with the highest amount of resources, with over 4 crore rupees.

On the other end of the spectrum, U Mumba will have a touch under 2 crore rupees while Bengal Warriors will have only 2.4 crores to spend. The other sides have over 2.5 crore rupees and will surely be eyeing some of the big names on offer at the auction. Right then, the masterminds will surely be at work, chalking out multiple plans considering the dynamic nature of the auction. Meanwhile, all we can do is hope that we find the player we desire donning our favourite team’s jersey in the next edition and watch this exciting event unfold from August 29.

Sit back, relax and enjoy as we at Sportskeeda will take you through all the ebbs and flows, all the surprises and shocks, all the sales and steals of the PKL Auction, 2021.

Hello folks, and welcome to Sportskeeda's live coverage of Day 1 of the PKL 8 Auction!

Lights! Camera! Auction! After an agonizing lull in the kabaddi scene in 2020, the sport is all set to get back on its feet this year, with the players preparing for an exciting season and the fans readying for some dramatic encounters. Contact sports have had a sluggish rebound, but then the comeback promises to be bigger than the setback.

The Pro Kabaddi League is all set to dominate our screens when the season kicks off as the twelve franchises will battle it out in a bid to get their hands on the elusive trophy. However, half the battle will be won in the auction room much before the season commences. The PKL Auction 2021 will be hosted by Mumbai and will be a three-day mega event starting August 29, where the twelve teams will revamp their sides in an attempt to assemble a title-winning squad.

The PKL Auction 2021 promises to be the most enthralling and riveting auction, with some of the biggest names in the kabaddi circuit being part of the auction list. All eyes will be glued to the screens when juggernauts such as ‘Record-Breaker’ Pardeep Narwal, Siddharth ‘Bahubali’ Desai and ‘Showman’ Rahul Chaudhari will go under the hammer. As for the retentions, the franchises have adopted a different strategy each, some of which have been questionable indeed.

Defending champions Bengal Warriors have retained skipper Maninder Singh along with Iranian Mohammad Nabibaksh while releasing some of their key defenders and support raiders. The Bengaluru Bulls have chosen to expand their auction purse by releasing some big names such as Rohit Kumar and Mahender Singh. They, however, have retained Pawan Sehrawat and the raider will be expected to lead the team this season. Raiding sensation Naveen Kumar will continue with the Dabang Delhi K.C. for another season while the newly rechristened Gujarat Giants have opted to retain the formidable duo of Parvesh Bhainswal and Sunil Kumar, releasing Sachin Tanwar in the process.

The Haryana Steelers will continue to receive the services of Vikash Kandola but having retained a total of just four players, will have lots of shopping to do come the PKL Auction 2021. The same goes for the Patna Pirates too, who have released the core players and will be hunting for suitable replacements. The Tamil Thalaivas have opted for a complete overhaul of their side, retaining three players and releasing the likes of Rahul Chaudhari, Ajay Thakur and Manjeet Chhillar. Similarly, the Telugu Titans, despite retaining six players, have released the players that played a majority of the games for them in season 7. Fazel Atrachali will continue to ply his trade for season 2 champions U Mumba and so will impressive youngster Abhishek Singh. With U Mumba having retained some costly buys, they will have to play it smart with the limited auction purse.

U.P. Yodha and Puneri Paltan will look to rebuild their sides in the auction while the Jaipur Pink Panthers have pinned their hopes on youngsters, retaining a total of seven players and releasing some experienced campaigners. The Auction will kick off with a host of talented New Young Players being drafted to the sides. With a laborious season approaching, franchises will look to rope in and nurture youngsters who can turn out to be potential match-winners for them.