PKL 12 Auction: Crorepati Sachin Tanwar finds new home; Puneri Paltan bag him at 1.058 cr

Sachin Tanwar was released by Tamil Thalaivas following a poor season.

Puneri Paltan were triumphant in a three-way battle also including U Mumba and the Telugu Titans, as they included Sachin Tanwar in their ranks at a price of Rs. 1.058 Cr the Pro Kabaddi League Season 12 (PKL 12) auction. Sachin has accumulated 1034 raid points in 145 matches, at a strike rate of 46.34%, with thirty-eight super 10s. He also has 62 tackle points to his name.

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.

Gaining a reputation as a consistent raider, Sachin Tanwar was the most expensive player in the previous auction, at a price of Rs. 2.15Cr. What followed was a nightmarish season for the 25-year-old, as he could muster just 82 raid points in 17 outings, at a miserly strike rate of 34.02% (two super 10s). This had a massive impact on the side’s performance, as they finished nineth on the table despite a late resurgence. Sachin was expectedly released into the auction pool, ahead of the upcoming season.

Puneri Paltan opened the bidding for Sachin Tanwar at Rs. 20 lakhs, with U Mumba going next. A battle ensued between the two Maharashtrian teams. The Paltan were especially aggressive, as the Telugu Titans entered the race, when the season ten champions made a jump to Rs. 50 lakhs. The season two champions came back in at Rs. 62 lakhs, as the Titans remained steadfast. Pune too were going nowhere, as they again expressed interest at Rs. 70 lakhs.

It was then a three-way battle, with the Titans making a few sudden jumps. However, it was the will of the Puneri Paltan which prevailed, as their bid of Rs. 1.0575 Cr proved successful.

A look at Sachin Tanwar’s PKL Journey

Sachin Tanwar made a massive impact in his debut season for the newly formed Gujarat Fortunegiants in the fifth edition, scoring 159 raid points in 24 matches. The side finished as runners-up that time. An even bigger season followed next, as he racked up 190 raid points in 23 games, with the franchise (renamed as Gujarat Giants) having a similar finish as the previous one.

After scoring only 84 raid points in 16 outings in the seventh instalment of the competition, he was released, following which he was picked up by the Patna Pirates. More success followed as he notched up 172 raid points in 23 fixtures, with the team losing by a solitary point in the final. The lad from Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan secured 176 raid points in 20 matches in PKL 9 and 171 raid points in 22 matches in PKL 10, with the three-time champions reaching the playoffs in the latter edition.

After being released, expectations were sky-high when Sachin Tanwar was picked up by the Thalaivas in the subsequent auctions. Unfortunately, he had to undergo a period where nothing went right for him. Moving to the Puneri Paltan could prove to be a blessing, as he will be sharing responsibilities with proven names like Aslam Inamdar and Mohit Goyat.

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