PKL 12: Top 10 players officially released ahead of auction

Many big names will be up for bid in the PKL season 12 auction.

The journey towards season 12 of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL 12) has begun, with teams announcing their list of retained and released players ahead of the next season. The player auction for season 12 will be held on 31st May and 1st June, so all the team managements are working day and night to select new players.

There will be many great bids in the auction, because this season, many big names are part of the auction, and every team will fight to get them. The list includes season 11’s Most Valuable Player and Best Raider, Mohammadreza Shadloui and Devank Dalal, respectively. This list also includes some legendary players, and it will be interesting to see which team they become a part of in the auction.

Also Read: PKL 12: Team-wise list of players officially retained by franchises ahead of auction

Here’s a look at the top 10 players officially released by their franchises before the PKL season 12 auction.

10. Vijay Malik

While Vijay Malik might not be the biggest name in the league, he has delivered the goods for the franchise he has played for. No one knows it better than the coach of Telugu Titans, Krishna Kumar Hooda, under whom the all-rounder had two of his best seasons in PKL history.

Last year with Titans, he scored 183 points, which overhauled his previous best of 162 points with Dabang Delhi during season eight. It’s a surprise that he’s been released, and he might be going back to the Titans with an FBM card.

9. Devank Dalal

One man who took the league by storm last year was Patna Pirates‘ star raider Devank Dalal. Ever since his 25-point performance against Tamil Thalaivas, which helped his team win the game single-handedly, he has been unstoppable.

He won the best Raider award in PKL and backed up with a Best Player award to lead Services to the Senior Men’s Kabaddi Championships. With the legendary Anup Kumar at the helm, it is a surprise that he has let go of a quality raider.

8. Sachin Tanwar

Tamil Thalaivas have decided to let go of their big purchase last year, as Sachin Tanwar will be up for grabs for the teams. After spending 2.17 cr for the lanky raider, the men in yellow thought they had cracked the code to get to the title.

After a great start, his form faded away, and he was dropped midway through the season. His being released is an expected move, and it will be interesting to see which teams he goes to.

7. Fazel Atrachali

Last season, Bengal Warriorz bought Fazel Atrachali at the base price. No team showed much interest in the league’s most successful defender and captain last season.

But the Sultan did what he does best: dominate yet another season of PKL, scoring 63 points. For teams that are looking for a captain, Fazal could be one of the primary names on the list.

6. Pardeep Narwal

Pardeep Narwal has to find a new team to play as Bengaluru Bulls have decided not to retain him ahead of the season. After Randhir Singh Sehrawat was relieved of the head coach position, new coach BC Ramesh would like to build a new team.

Bulls haven’t retained any player under the Elite Retained Players and Retained Young Players categories. Things don’t look good for Pardeep Narwal, as he may go unsold in the Auction, unless some team wants to have him as a backup raider.

5. Ashu Malik

Ashu Malik has been one of the most consistent players in the last two years in PKL. While he was seen as a secondary raider for Dabang Delhi, an injury to Naveen Kumar in season 10 pushed him to take up the role of the lead raider.

The all-rounder stepped up big time to become the season’s top scorer with 276 points. He continued for season 11 as well but has been let go ahead of the upcoming season. The season eight champions would want to have him back at the auction.

4. Mohammadreza Shadloui

The showstopper, Mohammadreza Shadloui, will again be on the auction list for the fourth straight season. The Iranian has left a huge impact on the league, having made it to the finals in three of the four seasons he has played, winning the last two of them.

Haryana Steelers dominated last year to win the title, and they would go all-out to get him back, unless a franchise wants to break the bank to get the Iranian on their team.

3. Pawan Sehrawat

Telugu Titans have released their last season captain, Pawan Sehrawat. He will be one of the biggest star attractions at the auction on May 31. The Indian captain has been released every year for the last four seasons and has fetched a hefty sum.

Telugu Titans used the FBM card last year after releasing him. While Pawan’s Class is never questioned, the injury concerns have been a point of discussion.

2. Naveen Kumar

Naveen Kumar will go under the hammer for the first time in his PKL career. Dabang Delhi have kept Naveen with them for the last several years. But this year the team has other plans.

The Naveen Express becomes the first player to have scored 1000+ points for a single team before entering the auction. With many teams releasing their big players before the auction, there could be a bidding war for Naveen.

1. Arjun Deshwal

Two-time champions, Jaipur Pink Panthers, have released ‘Raid Machine’ Arjun Deshwal. With a new coach in Narender Redhu, managing the team, the fans see a new approach. The strategy to have a bigger purse going into the auction might be one of the reasons to release him.

He could go to Tamil Thalaivas as his former coach, Sanjeev Baliyan, is with the men in yellow, and Arjun could be a great addition to any franchise that wants to build a good team.

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