Fresh from winning the gold medal at the Asian Games, India's men's kabaddi stars will be under the spotlight over the next two days as the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) player auctions get underway in Mumbai on October 9 and 10.
LIVE: PKL S10 PLAYER AUCTIONS
Who are the big names in the fray?
Plenty of superstars are up for grabs. Starting with India's captain Pawan Kumar Sehrawat, who is the PKL's most expensive player ever. Then we've got PKL's Mr. Consistent, Maninder Singh, who enters the auction pool after a long stint with Bengal Warriors. Some of the big names among the Indians raiders include Vikash Khandola and Siddharth Desai, while Vishal Bhardwaj and Surjeet Singh, both of whom were part of the Asian Games-winning team, are also in the reckoning.
There's also plenty of interest around the Iranians as well, who lost to India in a very hotly contested final. PKL's most expensive overseas signing, Fazel Atrachali goes into the auction pool after leading Puneri Paltan to last season's final. As will Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh and the Iranian showman, Mohammadreza Shadlou.
Can we expect any big-money transfers this time around?
100%. Brace yourselves for some bank-breaking big-money signings. Why? Because each of the 12 franchises has been allotted a total salary purse of Rs 5 crore as opposed to the earlier limit of Rs 4.4 crore. Keep your eyes peeled on the Bengal Warriors, who have the most money going into the auction - Rs 4.2 crore!
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How much money does each team have before the PKL auction?
Bengal Warriors | Balance: Rs 42,269,552 | No. of players in the squad: 8
Bengaluru Bulls | Balance: Rs 29,938,470 | No. of players in the squad: 9
Dabang Delhi K.C. | Balance: Rs 31,269,552 | No. of players in the squad: 9
Gujarat Giants | Balance: Rs 40,267,075 | No. of players in the squad: 6
Haryana Steelers | Balance: Rs 31,334,552 | No. of players in the squad: 12
Jaipur Pink Panthers | Balance: Rs 8,795,802 | No. of players in the squad: 12
Patna Pirates | Balance: Rs 30,960,545 | No. of players in the squad: 10
Puneri Paltan | Balance: Rs 28,071,538 | No. of players in the squad: 13
Tamil Thalaivas | Balance: Rs 24,364,164 | No. of players in the squad: 14
Telugu Titans | Balance: Rs 34,462,733 | No. of players in the squad: 9
U Mumba | Balance: Rs 26,998,360 | No. of players in the squad: 13
U.P. Yoddhas | Balance: Rs 20,642,802 | No. of players in the squad: 10
What is the format of the PKL player auction?
The domestic and overseas players will be divided into four categories: Category A, B, C and D. The players will further be categorised as 'All-Rounders', 'Defenders' and 'Raiders' within each category. The base prices for each of the categories are Category A: Rs 30 Lakh, Category B: Rs 20 Lakh, Category C: Rs 13 Lakh and Category D: Rs 9 Lakh.
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Can a PKL team retain a player at the auctions?
Yep, teams can use the Final Bid Match [FBM] card to retain a player during the auction. The FBM card allows the team to buy back its players, who it had earlier released, for the price of the final bid at the auction.
For example, Tamil Thalaivas have released Pawan this time. Now let's say that during the course of the auction, another team makes a winning bid of Rs 2.5 crore to sign him. Before the player is awarded to the team that won the bid, the auctioneer will ask Tamil Thalaivas if they want to use their FBM card to sign Pawan. If they say yes, then Pawan will go back to Tamil Thalaivas for the price that the other team was offering. However, if the team says no to using the FBM card, then the team with the winning will acquire his services.
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What are the most expensive signings in PKL history?
Pawan Kumar Sehrawat is the most expensive player in PKL history. He was signed by Tamil Thalaivas in PKL 9 for a record-breaking fee of Rs 2.26 crore. The top 5 most expensive signings in PKL history are:
Pawan Kumar Sehrawat: Rs 2.26 crore, Tamil Thalaivas
Vikash Khandola: Rs 1.70 crore, Bengaluru Bulls
Pardeep Narwal: Rs 1.65 crore, UP Yoddha
Monu Goyat: Rs 1.51 crore, Haryana Steelers
Siddharth Desai: Rs 1.45 crore, Telugu Titans