PKL 9: Top 10 debutants to look out for in upcoming season

These new entrants will look to make an impression in the Pro Kabaddi League.

During the auction for Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 9 earlier this month, there was a lot of bidding for all the players. All previous records were broken in this auction and Pawan Sehrawat became the most expensive player in the history of the league. Tamil Thalaivas bought him for ₹2.26 crores. 

Apart from this, there was a fierce bidding war for Fazel Atrachali of Iran and Vikash Kandola who went to Puneri Paltan and Bengaluru Bulls respectively. 

During the auction, not only did the franchises bid for well-known faces but there were also many new players in whom the franchise expressed confidence. 

There were many new players who got a good amount during the auction and all eyes will be on these players next season. We tell you about the top 10 new players who can do wonders in the upcoming PKL season:

10. Amirhossein Bastami - Haryana Steelers 

Iran's Amirhossein Bastami was the most expensive player from Category C. Haryana Steelers bought him for an amount of ₹65.10 lakhs. Batasami has been the captain of Iran's junior team and it was under his leadership that the team won the World Cup title. He will play the role of a defender for the Haryana Steelers in the upcoming season of the PKL.

Haryana has invested such a huge amount for him, so his performance will also be worth watching. Iranian defenders have a great history in the PKL, with Fazel Atrachali being one of the best defenders in the league. Patna Pirates' young defender from Iran Mohammadreza Chiyaneh was the best defender last season. He made his debut last season. So, Bastami will hope to replicate the same performance. 

9. Nitin Chandel - Jaipur Pink Panthers 

Right corner defender Nitin Chandel will take part in the PKL for the first time. Jaipur Pink Panthers made a bid of ₹19.7 lakhs for Chandel during the auction. 

For a Category D player, a bidding war for around ₹20 lakhs is a big deal. The upcoming season can be very important for Nitin Chandel, who hails from Himachal Pradesh. 

8. Shankar Gadai – Gujarat Giants

Gujarat Giants bought Maharashtra team captain Shankar during the auction. At the recently concluded Senior National Championship, he led Maharashtra to the final under his captaincy and the team won the silver medal.

Apart from this, he has also won the title of Maharashtra State Kabaddi Championship as captain.  He got a bid of Rs. ₹30.30 lakhs and now he will be seen on a big stage like the PKL. He is amongst the most promising talents to watch out for in the upcoming season. 

7. Lucky Sharma – Jaipur Pink Panthers

Lucky Sharma is the first player from Jammu and Kashmir to be selected for the PKL. He was selected by Jaipur Pink Panthers during the auction of PKL Season 9, who placed a bid of ₹10 lakhs for him.

Lucky Sharma is a right corner defender and played for Services in the recently concluded Senior Nationals. Now he is a part of the PKL and will be seen in the Jaipur jersey. He will definitely hope to make a mark in the tournament. 

6. Lovepreet – Haryana Steelers

Right raider Lovepreet Singh was bought by Haryana Steelers during the PKL 9 auction. The team made a bid of ₹6 lakhs for him. He has not made his PKL debut yet but has shown his talent at the junior level. Now it will be interesting to see how he performs in the PKL. 

5. Ujjwal Singh – Gujarat Giants

For Ujjwal Singh, the journey of PKL has been no less than a dream. In the seventh season, he used to work as a mat boy in the Ahmedabad leg and is now a part of the Gujarat Giants team. He was bought by the Gujarat franchise during the auction. He will play as left cover in the team.

Under the leadership of coach Ram Meher Singh, he will get the chance to learn a lot. We all know how he trained Pardeep Narwal at the Pirates. Pardeep has now become one of the household names. Ujjwal would hope to follow a similar path. 

4. Kiran Magar – U-Mumba

During the auction, Kiran Magar was bought by the team of U Mumba for ₹31 lakhs. He doesn't have much experience to play and has played only three matches for Air India, scoring four tackle points.

He can prove to be a great player for U Mumba. The amount of ₹31 lakhs shows how much talent he has and why the team has reposed faith in him. He will hope to get enough opportunities to display his skills on the mat. 

3. Reza Mirbagheri – Jaipur Pink Panthers 

Jaipur Pink Panthers spent a significant amount during the auction for Iran's young player Reza Mir. They bought Reza Mirbagheri for an amount of ₹26.80 lakhs.

The reason for this is that he has won the Junior World Cup and his performance was very good there. The Panthers will hope that Reza Mir can do wonders for the team and help them lift the trophy once more. 

2. Sagar Kumar – Patna Pirates

Sagar Kumar plays for Jharkhand at the domestic level and was bought by the Patna Pirates team during the Season 9 auction. He got a bid of ₹6 lakhs and it will be interesting to see if he gets a chance in the upcoming season.

1. Heidarali Ekrami – U-Mumba

Iran's young player Heidarali Ekrami was bought by the U Mumba team. For him, the franchise made a bid of ₹14 lakhs. The young raider has won the Junior World Championship for Iran. He is a greatly talented player and he will be seen for the first time on a big stage like PKL.