Day two of PKL auction: Suraj Desai signed for 52.5 lakhs

The second day of the PKL auctions saw Armyman Suraj Desai become the most expensive Category B player, after he was signed by Dabang Delhi for 52.50 lakhs.

The total money spent by the 12 teams - allotted a purse of Rs 4 crores each - was 46.99 crores for 227 players.

Having been added to the auction pool at the last minute, Services players continued to strike big on the second and final day of auctions for the fifth season of Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) on Tuesday, with Armyman Suraj Desai becoming the highest-bid for a Category B player, snapped up by Dabang Delhi for 52.50 lakhs.

It was more than double of what Jaipur Pink Panthers paid to regain the services of experienced defender and former captain Navneet Gautam, who went for a mere Rs 24 lakhs. Gautam had sat out the previous season due to injury.

In the process, Desai, based out of Mumbai, went past several bigger, more experienced names in the fray as the Delhi franchise put its faith in the young raider to improve its dismal performances in the past seasons. Along with Ravi Dalal and Iranian Meraj Sheykh, Desai would be expected to make up for the absence of Delhi's two best raiders from the past seasons – Kashiling Adake and Selvamani K - who have been signed by other franchises.

The total money spent by the 12 teams - allotted a purse of Rs 4 crores each - was 46.99 crores for 227 players. With Indian players from Category B, C and D going under the hammer on Day Two, the teams preferred to pick new and younger players. Junior players like Sachin, who would be making their debut in the PKL, earned far above their base price. Sachin was picked by Team Gujarat for Rs 36 lakhs while Jaipur paid a whopping 50 lakhs for Jaideep Singh, both are Category B players with a base price of Rs 12 lakh.