PKL 12 Auctions: UP Yoddhas splurge 1.073 cr to bring in Guman Singh

Guman Singh has fetched over a crore for the third time in four seasons.

UP Yoddhas secured the services of Guman Singh at the price of Rs. 1.073 Cr, Pro Kabaddi League Season 12 (PKL 12) auction. Guman has a total of 559 raid points in 81 matches, at a success rate of 52.63%, including twenty-six super 10s.

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.

Guman Singh, 25, had been picked up by the Gujarat Giants in the previous auction at a massive price of Rs. 1.97 Cr. He secured a total of 159 raid points in 22 matches (strike rate of 49.84%, six super 10s). While this performance didn’t justify his price tag, he was a bright spot for the two-time runners-up, who had the joint least number of raid points.

Unfortunately, he too came into form late in the season, as the Giants finished eleventh on the table. The raider was eventually released ahead of the PKL 12 auctions.

In the auction today, the UP Yoddhas opened the bidding for the left raider at Rs. 20 lakhs and were joined by U Mumba. The Telugu Titans entered the fray at Rs. 35 lakhs, as the Yoddhas backed away. The Titans were aggressive as they made a couple of jumps, including one to Rs. 1 Cr. However, the season two champions were steadfast in their pursuit.

The Hyderabad-based franchise eventually pulled out and the Yoddhas re-entered at Rs. 1.06 Cr. The second attempt was successful as U Mumba gave up at Rs. 1.0725 Cr. With the Gujarat Giants opting to not use the FBM, Guman found a new home.

Guman Singh’s PKL Journey

Guman Singh made his PKL debut for the Jaipur Pink Panthers in season 7, but was part of just four matches, scoring five raid points.

He had a breakthrough season next time around, with 95 raid points in 19 matches for the Patna Pirates. He couldn’t get enough opportunities though, as the team had multiple star raiders. The three-time champions ended up losing the final by one point.

The lad from Gurgaon was then part of U Mumba in PKL 9 and PKL 10. He accumulated a total of 300 raid points in 36 matches (sixteen super 10s). While the team couldn’t qualify for the playoffs on both occasions, he showcased his ability to excel as the lead raider, albeit he was hampered by injuries.

Guman Singh was then picked up by the Giants, where he had a decent season. Now with the Yoddhas, he could be part of a deadly raiding unit, which also comprises the likes of Gagan Gowda, Bhavani Rajput and Surender Gill.

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