Players continued to go for big bucks on day two of the Pro Kabaddi League auction, as the teams tried to bolster their squads for the upcoming season. Here are some of the highlights:
Prashanth Kumar Rai (raider) - Rs. 79 lakh, UP Yoddha
How he did in 2017
After an encouraging second season, Rai struggled in the third and fourth seasons, scoring a total of 31 points in 22 matches across the two seasons. Haryana Steelers made the playoffs in their debut PKL season largely thanks to their defence, but they were no doubt bolstered by the return to form of Rai, who scored 78 raid points in 16 matches and whose ratio of successful to unsuccessful raids is among the best in the league.
How the bidding went
The bidding for Rai was mostly a two-way battle between Dabang Delhi KC and UP Yoddha, the latter entering the fray with a bid of Rs. 61 lakh. After Delhi made their intent clear by pushing it to 70 lakh, UP countered and ultimately made the winning bid of 79 lakh, with Haryana choosing not to exercise the Final Bid Match (FBM) card.
His role in 2018
With UP choosing not to retain 2017 captain Nitin Tomar but retaining raider Rishank Devadiga, Rai's primary role will likely be to shoulder raiding responsibilities along with Devadiga. At 33, Rai isn't the fastest raider but he makes up for it with his poise, awareness of the game and experience, having played in the PKL since the first season.
Chandran Ranjit (raider) - Rs 61.25 lakh, Dabang Delhi KC
How he did in 2017
After playing in the first and second seasons but missing out on the next two, Ranjit, who wasn't one of the top three raiders in a strong Gujarat Fortunegiants side, gave a good account of himself last year. He utilised the opportunities he got, scoring 51 raid points in 11 matches, half the number Gujarat played in the group stage. His ability to keep the number of unsuccessful raids relatively low only made him more of an asset.
How the bidding went
The bidding for Ranjit was a battle between Delhi and Tamil Thalaivas, who brought up the bid for Rs 55 lakh, but couldn't surpass the 61.25-lakh mark.
His role in 2018
Ranjit makes for a valuable addition to Delhi, who have struggled in the PKL, finishing bottom of their zone last season. After padding up their squad with experienced players such as Vishal Mane and Rajesh Narwal, the selection of Ranjit appears motivated by the need to provide support for Iran's Meraj Sheykh, the only player retained by the team before the auction.
Pawan Kumar Sehrawat (raider) - Rs. 52.8 lakh, Bengaluru Bulls
How he did in 2017
Pawan, who played for Bengaluru in PKL's third and fourth season, was bought last year by Gujarat, for whom he scored a disappointing 10 points in the nine matches he played. He struggled with his raiding, registering 13 unsuccessful raids and five successful ones of the 24 he attempted.
How the bidding went
Bengaluru appeared determined to get Pawan back to his former team, driving the bids from 25 lakh and then on to 50 lakh before coming up with a winning amount.
His role in 2018
Considering Bengaluru's over-reliance on retained star raider Rohit Kumar last year and the fact that Rs 52.8 lakhs is the maximum they've spent this time, it would not have been unreasonable to expect them to go for a more proven performer as their second raider. Given the acquisition of the consistent, experienced raider Kashiling Adake, it seems more likely Pawan will be used in situations like do-or-die raids rather than as a primary raider as he has been more of a peripheral presence in the PKL.
Vikash Khandola (raider) - Rs 47 lakh, Haryana Steelers
How he did in 2017
Khandola was one of the finds of the fifth season, but an injury in the early stages resulted in him playing just nine matches. In that limited time, Khandola scored 58 raid points and was by far the best raider in a team that included the likes of experienced raiders such as Wazir Singh and Prashanth Kumar Rai.
How the bidding went
Delhi put in the winning bid of Rs 47 lakh for Khandola, but were thwarted by Haryana's use of the FBM card.
His role in 2018
Haryana have done well this auction, finding considerable success in their strategy of attempting to retain or buy back as many players from last year as possible. With their signing of raiders Monu Goyat for a record Rs 1.51 crore and Wazir Singh for Rs 20 lakh, the pressure will be off Khandola. The 20-year-old, whose speed and knack for scoring multiple points in a raid are his biggest strengths, will need to stay healthy and pick up from where he left off last year.
Dharmaraj Cheralathan (defender) - Rs 46 lakh, U Mumba
How he did in 2017
Cheralathan, one of the oldest players in the PKL at 43, did not have the best season with Puneri Paltan last year. But even so, the 25 tackle points he scored in 18 matches and his experience contributed to Pune's defence and their appearance in the playoffs.
How the bidding went
Once again, Delhi were the ones in the middle of a bidding war, and once again, they failed to come out on top.
His role in 2018
After Anup Kumar, U Mumba's most experienced player and title-winning captain, was surprisingly let go, Cheralathan could well become the key player of the team, perhaps the captain even, given his experience and the fact that he has won the title before, with Patna Pirates. Last season, teams with a good defence did the best and vice-versa, a trend Mumbai appear to have noticed, given their purchase of Cheralathan and defender Fazel Atrachali for Rs 1 crore. Cheralathan, who is adept at playing both the left and right corner and scoring the occasional raid, will be expected to team up with Atrachali to get Mumbai into the playoffs.