PKL 11 Auction: Raider Ajinkya Pawar becomes latest crorepati, gets signed by Bengaluru Bulls

Ajinkya Pawar was part of Tamil Thalaivas for the last three seasons.

Raider Ajinkya Pawar has become the latest entrant to the 1 Cr club after he was picked up by the Bengaluru Bulls at a price of Rs. 1.107 Cr at the Pro Kabaddi League Season 11 auction.

The PKL 11 Auction is being conducted today and tomorrow, in Mumbai. More than 500 players, with varied skillsets have been up for grabs. With only 88 players (which includes 22 Elite Retained Players) being retained by the 12 franchisees, it has been a blockbuster evening. Stars of modern-day kabaddi, including the likes of Pawan Sehrawat, Mohammadreza Shadloui, among others, went under the hammer.

Ajinkya Ashok Pawar will play for Bengaluru Bulls in PKL 11 🙌Bulls acquire the services of the raider for ₹110.75 lakhs 💰Follow @khelnowkabaddi for more updates 👀#PKL | #PKL11 | #ProKabaddiLeague | #Kabaddi | #PKLSeason11 | #ProKabaddi pic.twitter.com/tnLVtA6vx0

— Khel Kabaddi (@KhelNowKabaddi) August 15, 2024

Ajinkya Pawar started off in dramatic fashion for the Tamil Thalaivas last year, scoring a total of 18 raid points in the first match, leading his team to a 42-31 victory over Dabang Delhi. While his quick feet on court continued to excite everyone, he had a dip in form as he could score only a total of 124 raid points in 21 matches. With strike raider Narender Kandola blowing hot-and-cold, the Thalaivas finished nineth in the table.

Also Read: PKL 11 Auction Day 1 Highlights

UP Yoddhas started off the bid at Rs 20 lakhs, with the Bulls joining them. The Yoddhas opted out, but the Jaipur Pink Panthers joined the fight. However, the Bulls were incessant, and the Men in Pink waved the white flag.

However, U Mumba, who were desperately looking for a strike raider, now decided to stake claim. At one point, the bidding was so aggressive that both teams held their paddles, without keeping them down. However, eventually, the Bulls got the winning bid at Rs 1.107 Cr.

With the Tamil Thalaivas lacking sufficient funds—after they picked another raider Sachin Tanwar for a whopping price—they couldn’t use the Final Bid Match (FBM) Card. This meant that the 27-year-old Pawar was now joining his third team, in the form of the Bulls.

Pawar made his PKL debut in Season 6, with Jaipur Pink Panthers. He scored 71 raid points in 17 matches, and his team was happy to give him an opportunity in the next season too. However, he only managed to score 21 raid points in 14 matches, which resulted in him being released into the pool for the eighth season.

Next Pawar was picked up by the Tamil Thalaivas, where he impressed with a tally of 108 raid points in eight matches.

He was supposed to be a backup raider in season 9, with Pawan Sehrawat joining the team. However, the marquee player got injured in their very first match and was ruled out. However, Kandola and Pawar did a fine job taking the team to the playoffs, where they lost in the semifinals.

The raider from Ratnagiri was then retained for the 10th season but was released for the upcoming edition.

Pawar will be joining the legendary Pardeep Narwal for raiding duties, apart from exciting prospects in the form of Sushil and Akshit, as the Bengaluru Bulls aim to win their second title.

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