A good auction strategy in a franchise league can really do wonders to a team’s chances of winning the titles. While some outfits look to build its squad keeping the “sum of all parts” philosophy in mind, there are a few who do feel the need to go all out to get a player who can play multiple roles.
With the player auction for the 11th season of Pro Kabaddi League set to take place on August 15 and 16 in Mumbai, here’s a recap of the most expensive buys in the history of the PKL auctions.
2023 - Pawan Sehrawat - Telugu Titans - Rs 2.61 crore
Indian kabaddi captain Pawan Sehrawat bettered his own record of being the most expensive player in Pro Kabaddi League history after Telugu Titans bought him for a whopping Rs 2.61 crore in the Season 10 auction.
Ahead of Season 9, Tamil Thailavas had picked Sehrawat, a raider, for Rs 2.26 crores but he missed the entire edition due to an ACL injury sustained in the very first game.
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The 2023-24 season was a mixed bag for the 28-year-old Sehrawat, who has the nickname ‘Hi-Flyer.’ He led the national team to Asian Kabaddi Championship title as well as the gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games. However, in PKL, Sehrawat’s Titans finished last amongst the 12 teams with only 21 points in 22 league games.
2023 - Mohammadreza Shadloui - Puneri Paltan - Rs 2.35 crore
FILE PHOTO: Mohammadreza Shadloui | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Iranian allrounder Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh became the most expensive foreign player in PKL history and the second-most expensive player ever when Puneri Paltan picked him for Rs 2.35 crore during last season’s auction.
The 23-year-old Shadloui started his PKL career with Patna Pirates in 2021-22 season. While he twice fell short of a title with the national team after losses in the Asian Kabaddi Championship and Asian Games finals last year, he finally tasted success with Paltan as the side lifted the PKL trophy for the first time. Shadloui played a key role in the campaign, finishing with 99 tackle points, the most by anyone in Season 10.
2023 - Maninder Singh - Bengal Warriors - Rs 2.12 crore
FILE PHOTO: Bengal Warriors. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
When it seemed like the Titans had snapped Maninder Singh during the PKL 10 auction, Bengal Warriors used the Final Bid Match option to retain the raider for Rs 2.12 crore. This made him the second-most expensive Indian player ever.
The 34-year-old Singh made his PKL debut with Jaipur Pink Panthers during its title-winning run. He missed the next three seasons due to injuries before the Warriors picked him for the 2017 campaign. He led the team to its only title in 2019.
Last season, Singh had 197 raid points but the Warriors finished seventh in the league stage and failed to make it to the knockouts.
2022 - Vikash Kandola - Bengaluru Bulls - Rs 1.70 crore
FILE PHOTO: Vikash Kandola (centre). | Photo Credit: PKL
Vikash Kandola is the fourth most expensive player in PKL’s history. The Bulls roped him in for Rs 1.70 crore during the Season 9 auction.
Kandola made his PKL debut as one of the New Young Players with Dabang Delhi in Season 4. The raider showed his true potential with Haryana Steelers, which bought him before Season 5. He spent four seasons at the Steelers during which the side twice reached the Playoffs.
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In his debut season at the Bulls, Kandola had 135 raid points and his side lost to the Pink Panthers in the semifinals. In Season 10, the Bulls finished eighth and failed to make it to the Playoffs. Kandola scored only 68 raid points.
2021 - Pardeep Narwal - U.P. Yoddhas - Rs 1.65 crore
FILE PHOTO: Pardeep Narwal. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
It was Pardeep Narwal who took the highest bid at the 2021 auction and rightly so. Having been an integral part of the Patna Pirates team that completed a three-peat, ‘Dubki King’ Narwal was a hot favourite in the lead up to the auction.
UP Yoddhas bought him for Rs 1.65 crore and he repaid the faith put in him. His contributions to the team’s run to the semifinal included 188 points with nine Super 10s.
Yoddhas also reached the Playoffs in 2022 but last season, the team finished 11th in the league stage. The 27-year-old Narwal could only manage 99 raid points in Season 10.
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