Pro Kabaddi League Season 5: Unprecedented Rs 47 crore spent in recently concluded auction

New Delhi: Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) concluded its largest-ever 2-day player auction in the nationalcapital on Tuesday. The auction netted a consolidated price of Rs. 46.99 crores for 227 players selected over two days ofintense bidding between 12 franchises.

Star raiders Nitin Tomar, Rohit Kumar and all-rounder Manjeet Chillar were the top buys in the auction, picked by Team U.P.,Bengaluru Bulls and Jaipur Pink Panthers, respectively. Jang Kun Lee, retained by Bengal Warriors, is the highest valuedinternational player, at Rs. 80.3 lakhs.

While Day 1 was dominated by Category-A stars, Day 2 saw the franchises finding the perfect balance between experienced andyoung players, to craft winning teams.

On second day of the auction, Indian players from Category B, C and D, went under the hammer. Suraj Desai secured the highestbid on Day 2 by Dabang Delhi K.C. for an amount of Rs. 52.50 lakhs. New entrants also attracted interest of the franchiseeson the second day of the auction. Sachin, a Junior National Championships Bronze medallist, was picked by Team Gujarat for animpressive amount of Rs. 36 lakhs.

Anupam Goswami, league commissioner, VIVO Pro Kabaddi said, "With 4 new teams coming on board, we embarked upon a new journeywith the biggest Kabaddi auction in history. This year, the stakes were higher than ever before. Franchises were preparedwith strategic game plans, and were seen bidding fiercely to build robust teams."

"Every squad has a good mix of domestic, overseas and new young players. I want to congratulate Nitin Tomar for makinghistory, and also wish every drafted player all the best for the biggest season of the league. The salaries drawn by theseplayers are comparable to any mainstream profession, making Kabaddi a viable career option for the youth of today."

Nitin Tomar, highest bid player of the league, from Team U.P. said, "It`s a dream come true. All my family members are happy.I am grateful to Team U.P. for investing in me. This is quite exciting and motivating, and it shows my teams` belief in me. Ihope that I am able to live up to their expectations. I am happy with the way the team is shaping up in the auction and Ilook forward to an action-packed Season 5."

Suraj Desai, highest bid Category B player, from Team Dabang Delhi K.C said, "I am very exciting and, more importantly, proudto be the top choice in the category. I am thankful to Dabang Delhi for giving me this incredible opportunity. This inspiresme to train hard and perform to the fullest in the league."