PKL 11: Five players who could go unsold at auction

These veterans have lost their form in recent seasons.

One of the highlights of the introduction of the Pro Kabaddi League is the Auction for the teams to pick their players. While teams have the luxury to pick the player they want, they will have to outbid others to get the player. With a limited purse value, the teams will have to keep their emotions aside and pick players who could win the trophy for the franchise.

The dynamics associated with this could result in few players being left out by teams. The factors could be many like unavailability, fitness, balance of the squad, and purse remaining but we have seen a few top players miss out. Let’s look at five such players who could remain without a team at the end of the auction of PKL 11.

#5 Girish Ernak

Girish Maruti Ernak began his career with Patna Pirates and moved to play for the Bengal Warriors in Seasons 3 and 4. He is best known for forming strong partnerships with right corner defender. First with Nilesh Shinde in Bengal Warriors. His best came when he moved to Pune. His best seasons came with the Paltans with 69 and 57 points respectively.

Along with Sandeep Narwal, he was a formidable force to be reckoned with as Puneri Paltan’s captain for Season 6. Standing at five feet seven inches, he had solidified his reputation which made his way back to the Bengal Warriors team. But last season proved to be decisive as he hardly made an impact. With just three points, he was on the bench for most part of the season. With many left corners available, Girish might not get a bid.

#4 Monu Goyat

Monu Goyat was one of the finds of the tournament when he along with Pardeep Narwal lead the Patna Pirates to a historic hat-trick of titles in season five. His calm demeanor caught the attention of many and as he created history by becoming the most expensive player in PKL auctions as Haryana Steelers bought him for a sum of 1.51 Cr.

With his classical running hand touch and turning skills, he scored around 164 points. But his performance dropped since then. He was released after every year and a new franchise bought him in the next three years. Last year auction saw him go unsold and with it looks like the paddle might not go high this season as well.

#3 Ran Singh

Ran Singh became PKL champion in the inaugural edition with Jaipur Pink Panthers. Considering his all-round abilities he was retained for the first four years by the Panthers. But when the league expanded to 12 teams, he was snatched by Bengal Warriors. He had his best PKL seasons with the Warriors scoring 64 and 71 in the next two seasons.

He had a decent season with Tamil Thalaivas but his prove to Bengaluru Bulls resulted in a major downfall. In the two seasons with Bulls, the corner played 22 matches and could score 32 points only. He has put himself in the Category C. Teams might be looking for specific roles to fill gaps and teams may overlook Ran Singh for a longtime role in their squad.

#2 Jang Kun Lee

Jang Kun Lee was one of the few players who have been retained by a franchise for six or more years. He started his PKL career with the Bengal Warriors. He was one of the consistent performers for them scoring 50+ points in every season. It was in season seven, he made his first move when he was picked by Patna Pirates.

He had a decent season with the three-time champions with 63 points. He was released ahead of season eight and has not been picked by any franchises in the next three seasons. The South Korean returns to action after a hiatus, but things may not be as welcoming as it sounds. Teams have been specific with their requirements regarding raiders and Lee could miss out having not been picked in the last three seasons.

#1 Rahul Chaudhari

The poster boy of Indian Kabaddi and one of the most popular players of PKL is Rahul Chaudhari. But things have changed as Rahul hasn’t been able to replicate his form from the yesteryears. He was with the Telugu Titans for the first six seasons helping them make playoffs. He moved to Tamil Thalaivas in season seven but he couldn’t change the teams’ fortunes.

Since then Rahul Chaudhari has been picked as a backup raider first with Puneri Paltans and then with Jaipur Pink Panthers. In the last season, the Delhi-born raider went unsold. It was the Panthers who bought him back at the base price. He hardly appeared on the mat. Known for his pace, Rahul’s speed has drastically reduced which makes him vulnerable and teams will look to skip his name.

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