The build-up for Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) auctions just got a whole lot more interesting as the likes of Pawan Kumar Sehrawat and Mohammadreza Shadloui, two of the most exciting players in world kabaddi, will go under the hammer.
Pawan, who made history by becoming PKL's most expensive player at ₹2.26 crore, has been released by Tamil Thalaivas. One of the League's best defenders, Shadloui, has also been let go by the Patna Pirates. Some of the other top players who will enter the auction pool include Fazel Atrachali, Maninder Singh, Vikash Kandola, Mohammed Esmaeil Nabibakhsh and Deepak Niwas Hooda.
Surprisingly, Pardeep Narwal, who has had a couple of average seasons by his lofty standards, was retained by UP Yoddhas.
Pardeep is one of the 84 players, including Naveen Kumar (Dabang Delhi), Aslam Inamdar (Puneri Paltan) and Bharat Hooda (Bengaluru Bulls), who have been retained by the 12 teams.
With the auctions for season 10 of PKL scheduled for September 8 and 9 and the League likely to begin at the end of the year post the Asian Games, here are ESPN's takeaways from the PKL retention list:
Pawan released, but Thalaivas can always get him back
Last season, Pawan's debut Tamil Thalaivas campaign ended prematurely after he twisted his knee within 10 minutes of the league's first match and had to be stretchered off. He subsequently underwent surgery and only returned to the mat earlier this year, when he captained India to the gold at the Asian Kabaddi Championships.
The Thalaivas have now chosen to release Pawan, who was also their captain, as opposed to paying an additional 15% of his auction fee to retain him. However, they can retain Pawan by using the Final Bid to Match card at the auctions. But this is a bit of a gamble as Pawan is bound to trigger a bidding war and they could just end up with the short end of the straw.
All eyes on Shadloui, Fazel surprisingly not retained
Shadloui made his PKL debut in season 8 when Patna Pirates signed him on for ₹31L. He would expect bids of at least 5x of that amount this time around. The 23-year-old Iranian all-rounder has been one of the best performers in PKL, finishing as the best defender in his maiden season and the second-best in PKL9 with 84 points (16 came in one game, remember?).
He can defend, he can raid (as seen at the Asian Kabaddi Championships), is a proper showman and could very well go past Fazel to become PKL's most expensive overseas player.
Fazel, who led a young Puneri Paltan squad to the final last season, finds himself in the auction pool once again. Puneri Paltan had roped him in for ₹1.38 crore last year but have strangely let him go, despite his instrumental role in their runner-up finish last year. Fazel's game may not be at its peak, but he brings tonnes of intangible qualities such as leadership and game awareness, which make him one of the best in the business. His countryman Nabibakhsh was also released by the Paltan.
UP Yoddhas take the gamble, retain Pardeep
Pardeep hasn't been his lethal self since he moved from three-time champions Patna Pirates to UP Yoddhas for ₹1.65 crore in PKL8. Defenders have figured him out, he's been a tad slow on the mat and his killer instinct seems to be fading away. He made a comeback in the second half of PKL9 to finish with 220 points [sixth-best] but that is his second-lowest tally in five seasons.
UP Yoddhas have also retained their secondary raider in Surender Gill and will hope Pardeep can fire on all cylinders from the get-go and not after half the league is over.
Puneri Paltan's top-class raiding unit remains intact, Naveen sticks on to Dabang Delhi
Puneri Paltan might have let go of their Iranian contingent but have firmly held onto their raiding contingent: Aslam, Mohit Goyat, Akash Shinde and Pankaj Mohite. The quartet combined to score 96% of their raid points and 56% of their total points last season. The Paltan have fortified their raiding department and will largely be on the lookout for defenders at the auctions.
Much like Puneri Paltan, Dabang Delhi has also clung on to their ace raider Naveen. The youngster struggled with back and knee injuries last season and still finished as PKL9's third-best raider with 254 raid points. He's been Delhi's man for all seasons and understandably the team has retained him.
Jaipur Pink Panthers retain core
"Don't fix it if ain't broken" seems to be reigning champions Jaipur Pink Panthers' mantra as they've gone all out and retained 10 players from their title-winning squad. The top name amongst them is Arjun Deshwal, PKL9's best raider and MVP, while captain Sunil Kumar and secondary raider Ajith Kumar also figure on the list.
PKL S9 report card: Jaipur Pink Panthers, Puneri Paltan get A+; F for Telugu Titans
Ankush Rathee, who made his debut in PKL9 and finished as the best defender with 89 points, will also continue to don the pink jersey alongside the promising Sahul Kumar. The Pink Panthers have also held on to Iran's Reza Mirbagheri - who is the only overseas player to be retained.