PKL 11 Auction: Puneri Paltan make Ajith Kumar most expensive player on Day 2
Puneri Paltan were locked in a bidding war with U Mumba and UP Yoddhas to sign Ajith Kumar.
All-rounder V Ajith Kumar hit the jackpot as Puneri Paltans signed him for a sum of Rs 66 Cr in PKL 11 auction. The Tamil Nadu boy has been impressive ever since he made his Pro Kabaddi League debut. Teams were well aware of it as many franchises raised their paddle to bid for him. It was the Puneri Paltans who started the bidding war.
The Paltans had a bigger purse having made only three purchases till then with Mohit Khaler at Rs 20 lakhs being the highest. UP Yoddhas joined the battle, but the defending champions were determined to get him on board, so they shot up the bid to Rs 25 lakhs. The Yoddhas had to back off but that was all it needed for U Mumba to bid for their former player.
Just when the season two champions thought they could strike a deal, the Paltans executed a dash by rocketing it up to Rs 66 lakhs which knocked the U Mumba out of the bidding war. The Auctioneer Mallika Sagar used her hammer to seal the deal for the Puneri Paltans. They have added another raiding option to give them the best shot for their title defense.
Also Read: PKL 11 Auction Day 2 Highlights
It is not an easy task to successfully defend the title as only one team has done it. The competition got tougher with the introduction of new teams in season five. It gave an opportunity to many youngsters including V Ajith Kumar himself in season seven with Tamil Thalaivas. Playing under Ajay Thakur and K Baskaran, Ajith showed immense composure on the big stage.
In his debut season for his home state, he compiled 121 points in a tough season where the team finished in the last position. The Thalaivas failed to retain him which gave the opportunity for U Mumba to get his services. The Kabaddi player from Karur scored 159 points including six Super 10s. While he was picked as a secondary raider, he took up the responsibility of a lead raider in a few games.
Realizing his potential, he was bought by Jaipur Pink Panthers for season nine for 66 lakhs. He and Arjun Deshwal forged a wonderful partnership to trouble most teams. They rode to the championship with ease. Ajith’s running hand touch and shiftness in escaping has been a joy to watch.
He was retained by the Panthers for the season 10. Bhavani Rajput joined Ajith and Arjun, as the trio had the defenders in trouble throughout the season. With 82 points, he played a key role in the Pink Panthers’ journey to the playoffs. With Paltans securing him, he will again be key to the men in orange attempt to successfully defend their title.
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