Lights, camera, a(u)ction - India's best men's kabaddi players will be in the spotlight over the next two days as the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) player auctions get underway in Mumbai on August 15 and 16. Each of the 12 franchises has a purse of ₹5 crore as they bid to form their squads ahead of PKL 11.
Here's everything you need to know about the PKL 11 player auctions:
Who are the big players going into the auction?
Some of PKL's greatest players ever are up for grabs in the auctions this time. For starters, Pawan Sehrawat - who is PKL's most expensive player of all time and was PKL 10's third-best raider - is in the auction, as is Iranian showman Mohammadreza Shadloui. The all-rounder became PKL's most expensive foreign signing last season and played a pivotal role in Puneri Paltan's title victory.
Then there's PKL's Mr Consistent Maninder Singh, who was the fourth-best raider and Iranian defender Fazel Atachali, who is the league's most successful captain ever. A couple of other big names include Pardeep Narwal (who remains a big name despite his underwhelming performance last season) and Sachin Tanwar (Patna Pirates' #1 raider in PKL 10).
Can we expect some big, record-breaking bids again?
You bet. With so many big names in the auction, records are meant to be broken. Telugu Titans splurged ₹2.65 crore last season for Pawan, while Puneri Paltan spent ₹2.31 crore for Shadlou and Bengal Warriors used their FBM Card to retain Maninder Singh for Rs. ₹2.12 crore.
Expect all of those records to be broken this time and don't be surprised if you see Shadlou attract the highest bid, especially after how good he was last time around (he was the season's best defender and had the most tackle points and High 5s.)
Plus, as last season, each of the 12 franchises has a total salary purse of ₹5 crore, so some big-money moves are a definite possibility.
Wait, what's an FBM Card?
That's an important one: a Final Bid Match [FBM] card allows the team to buy back their players, who they had earlier released, for the price of the final bid at the auction. Each team has three FBM cards, but that depends on the number of players they released before the auction. If a team has retained their maximum quota of six players, then they can use the card FBM only once. However, they can use the card up to three times if they have retained five or fewer players.
For example, the Bengal Warriors have released Maninder. Let's say Tamil Thalaivas make a winning bid of ₹2 crore during the auction. At this point, the auctioneer will ask the Bengal Warriors if they want to use their FBM card to retain Maninder. If the Warriors say yes, then Maninder will remain with the Warriors for ₹2 crore (the winning bid amount). If the Warriors say no to using the FBM card, then Tamil Thalaivas will have added Maninder to their squad.
How does the PKL auction work?
It's simple: The domestic and foreign players will be divided into four categories: A, B, C and D. The players will be further subdivided as 'All-Rounders', 'Defenders' and 'Raiders' within each category. The base prices for each of the categories are Category A - ₹30 Lakh, Category B - ₹20 Lakh, Category C - ₹13 Lakh and Category D - ₹9 Lakh. Over 500 players will be part of the auction pool, including the 24 players from the two finalist teams of the Khelo India University Games 2024.
What do the teams look like before the auction?
Puneri Paltan, the defending champions, look solid. They have retained their star raiding trio of Aslam Inamdar, Mohit Goyat and Pankaj Mohite as well as the defensive duo of Abinesh Nadarajan and Gaurav Khatri as they look to become only the second team to retain their title.
Former champions Dabang Delhi have held onto their captain Naveen Kumar and mercurial raider Ashu Malik, while two-time champions Jaipur Pink Panthers have retained their MVP Arjun Deshwal.
Teams such as Bengal Warriors, UP Yoddhas and Telugu Titans will be looking for a complete overhaul.
What are the most expensive signings in PKL history?
Pawan Kumar Sehrawat is the most expensive player in PKL history. He was signed by Telugu Titans for ₹2.605 crore in PKL 10. The top 5 most expensive signings in PKL history are:
Pawan Kumar Sehrawat: ₹2.605 crore, Telugu Titans (PKL 10)
Mohammadreza Shadloui: ₹2.31 crore, Puneri Paltan (PKL 10)
Pawan Kumar Sehrawat: ₹2.26 crore, Tamil Thalaivas (PKL9)
Maninder Singh: ₹2.12 crore, Bengal Warriors (PKL10)
Vikash Kandola: ₹1.7 crore, Bengaluru Bulls (PKL9)