130 players sold over the two days of PKL Season 9 Player Auctions

Top highlights from the vivo Pro Kabaddi (PKL) Season 9 Player Auctions 

• Fazel Atrachali once again acquired for INR 1 crore, after being acquired by Puneri Paltan for INR 1.38 Crore  
• Overseas players shine again as Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh bought for 87 lakh by Puneri Paltan 
• Ravi Kumar was the surprise pick of the auction; being bought for a whopping INR 64.1 lakh by Dabang Delhi K.C. 
• Among the Category C players, Amirhossein Bastami emerged as the highest bid, attracting an amount of INR 65.1 lakh from the Haryana Steelers 
• Among the Category D players, Nitin Chandel emerged as the highest bid, attracting an amount of INR 19.70 lakh from the Jaipur Pink Panthers 

The Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 9 Player Auctions was successfully conducted by Mashal Sports in Mumbai on 5-6 August 2022. Pawan Kumar Sehrawat, who was acquired by Tamil Thalaivas emerged as the most expensive buy at the two-day event. A total of 130 players were sold to the 12 franchisees during the Player Auction over the two days, across the four categories of players auctioned. 

PKL stars continue to dominate 

The highlight of the auction was Pawan Kumar Sehrawat smashing the all-time record after he was bought by Tamil Thalaivas for a whopping sum of INR 2.26 crore. Vikash Khandola found a new home in Bengaluru Bulls after he was bought for INR 1.70 crore (a record he held till Pawan Kumar Sehrawat was bid). The raider became the second most expensive buy ever in the Pro Kabaddi League Player Auction history. Pardeep Narwal returned to the UP Yoddhas side after the franchisee used the Final Bid Match (FBM) Card at INR 90 lakh. 

Meanwhile, Raider Guman Singh emerged as the most expensive Category B player at the Pro Kabaddi League Player Auction, being bought for a whopping INR 1.21 crore by U Mumba. Furthermore, Defender Sunil Kumar was the second most expensive player in Category B. He was picked up by Jaipur Pink Panthers for INR 90 lakh. 

Haryana Steelers snap Amirhossein Bastami 

Amirhossein Bastami was the stand-out in Category C after being sold for a whopping INR 65.10 lakh to Haryana Steelers. Meanwhile, Ravi Kumar emerged as the surprise pick after he was bought for INR 64.10 by Dabang Delhi K.C. Neeraj Narwal (INR 43 lakh) and Rinku Narwal (INR 40 lakh) also earned massive amounts as they were acquired by Bengaluru Bulls and Gujarat Giants respectively.  

Khelo India University Games 2021 player picked 

An opportunity was given to the 24 players who took part in the final of the Khelo India University Games 2022 to enter the vivo Pro Kabaddi League Season 9 Player Auction and Jai Bhagwan grabbed the chance with both hands as he was taken by U Mumba for INR 10 lakh. 

Speaking on behalf of Mashal Sports, CEO, Sports League, Disney Star and League Commissioner, vivo Pro Kabaddi League, Mr. Anupam Goswami said, “A big thank you to all the stakeholders and the entire PKL team for another fabulous Player Auction.The fact that we had a player cross the INR 2 crore mark for the first time in the history of PKL shows the growth of the League over the years. Apart from Pawan, it was also incredible to witness Vikash, Fazel and Guman go for prices above INR 1 crore. The values of players are increasing from year to year and as a result the League’s brand value has seen a massive hike. Additionally, all the franchisees have been able to put together a balanced side on paper. With every team stepping on the mat with equal strength, the kabaddi fans can expect nail biting competition in every match in the upcoming season.” 

Talking about a very successful Player Auction, Divyanshu Singh, CEO Haryana Steelers, said, “It was an interesting bid but we managed to acquire Manjeet. His performance has been improving and we cannot wait to see him on the mat playing for Haryana Steelers. He will certainly bring abundance of experience and talent to our team.” 

Star raider of the player auction Pawan Kumar Sehrawat spoke about being sold to Tamil Thalaivas for INR 2.26 Cr – the highest-ever, “I have not won the vivo Pro Kabaddi League with a team other than Bengaluru Bulls. So, I will try my best to help the Tamil Thalaivas win the title in the upcoming season. I feel really proud that the Tamil Thalaivas Coach and management are showing their trust for me. I will look to play even better in the next season.” 

I would also like to tell the youngsters that they should concentrate on their fitness. If they are fit then they can play for India and vivo PKL team as well.” 

TOP 5 Category A players 

Name	Position	Contracted amount	Team
Pawan Kumar Sehrawat	Raider	2.26 crore	Tamil Thalaivas
Vikash Khandola	Raider	1.7 crore	Bengaluru Bulls
Fazel Atrachali	Defender	1.38 crore	Puneri Paltan
Pardeep Narwal	Raider	90 lakh (FBM)	UP Yoddha
Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh	All-Rounder	87 lakh	Puneri Paltan

TOP 5 Category B players 

Name	Position	Contracted amount	Team
Guman Singh	Raider	1.21 crore	U Mumba
Sunil Kumar	Defender	90 lakh	Jaipur Pink Panthers
Ashish	Raider	45 lakh	U Mumba
Nitin Rawal	All-rounder	37.5 lakh	Haryana Steelers
Surinder Singh	Defender	35.5 lakh	U Mumba

TOP 5 Category C players 

Name	Position	Contracted amount	Team
Amirhossein Bastami	Defender	65.1 lakh	Haryana Steelers
Ravi Kumar	Defender	64.1 lakh	Dabang Delhi K.C.
Neeraj Narwal	Raider	43 lakh	Bengaluru Bulls
Rinku Narwal	Defender	40 lakh	Gujarat Giants
Arkam Shaikh	All-Rounder	32.1 lakh	Gujarat Giants

TOP 3 Category D players 

Name	Position	Contracted amount	Team
Nitin Chandel	Defender	19.70 lakh	Jaipur Pink Panthers
Sakthivel R	Defender	12.20 lakh	Bengal Warriors
Arpit Saroha	Defender	8.20 lakh	Tamil Thalaivas

Total amount spent by teams 

Sr No.	Teams	Total amount (INR)
1	Bengal Warriors	4.22 crore
2	Bengaluru Bulls	4.37 crore
3	Dabang Delhi K.C.	4.31 crore
4	Gujarat Giants	3.85 crore
5	Haryana Steelers	3.76 crore
6	Jaipur Pink Panthers	4.37 crore
7	Patna Pirates	4.31 crore
8	Puneri Paltan	4.38 crore
9	Tamil Thalaivas	4.40 crore
10	Telugu Titans	4.38 crore
11	U Mumba	4.22 crore
12	UP Yoddha	4.29 crore