PKL 12 Auctions: Patna Pirates use FBM card to re-sign Ankit Jaglan for 1.573 Cr

Ankit Jaglan put up some spirited performances for Patna last season

Patna Pirates used their second Final Bid Match (FBM) Card of the night, to get Ankit Jaglan back in their ranks at a price of Rs. 1.573 Cr at the Pro Kabaddi League Season 12 (PKL 12) auction. The left corner has racked up 145 tackle points in 48 games, at a strike rate of 48% (nine high 5s).

The PKL 12 auctions are being held in Mumbai, today and tomorrow. A total of 83 players, which include 25 Elite Retained Players (ERP), 23 Retained Young Players (RYP) and 35 New Young Players (NYP), were retained prior to the event. More than 500 players are set to go under the hammer, with a maximum of 217 available slots. This is unarguably the biggest auction in recent years, with some of the biggest names currently in the world of kabaddi, including Pawan Sehrawat, Naveen Kumar, Arjun Deshwal, Devank Dalal, Mohammadreza Shadloui, going under the hammer.

Puneri Paltan opened the bidding for Ankit Jaglan at Rs. 20 lakhs and were involved in a battle with U Mumba. The season ten champions made a jump to Rs. 65 lakhs, which made the season two champions pull out. They again made a jump, raising the amount to Rs. 1 Cr, with the Jaipur Pink Panthers soon coming into the race. Haryana Steelers made an entry as the bid stood at Rs. 1.07Cr, with the two-time champions backing off.

The Paltan decided to exit, as the Panthers came back in and made a raise to Rs. 1.40 Cr. The baton war continued past the Rs. 1.5 Cr mark, before Jaipur decided to go no further at Rs. 1.5725 Cr. It seemed as if the player was headed to the defending champions, but Patna Pirates decided to pull out the FBM card and retain Ankit for one year.

A look at Ankit Jaglan’s PKL Journey

Ankit Jaglan’s potential wasn’t unknown during the PKL 10 auctions, testified by the fact that he was picked up by the Pirates at a whopping price of Rs. 31.5 lakhs, despite being a category D player. He delivered straightaway, scoring 66 tackle points in 23 matches, at a tackle strike rate of 45%, including four high 5s. The team finished sixth on the table to enter the knockouts but crashed out against eventual champions Puneri Paltan in the semifinal.

With the additional responsibility of leading a young team, Ankit Jaglan finished as the second-best defender in the eleventh installment of the league. He managed a total of 79 tackle points in 25 outings, at a success rate of 51%, with four high 5s. The three-time champions punched about their weights to enter the final, where they lost to the Haryana Steelers.

While the Pirates surprisingly released Ankit into the auction pool, they have now got him back in their squad and will be hoping that he can justify the high price tag.

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