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          Pro Kabaddi League Player Auctions Report Card: Who got an A+?

          Sachin Tanwar, who was with Patna Pirates last season, was signed by Tamil Thalaivas for ₹2.15 crore at the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL11) auction. PKL Media
          • Shyam Vasudevan
          Aug 18, 2024, 03:18 PM

          The Pro Kabaddi League [PKL11] player auctions saw teams make big-money moves as Tamil Thalaivas spent ₹2.15 crore to sign Sachin Tanwar, making him the season's most expensive player. Haryana Steelers had the biggest foreign buy as they roped in Iranian all-rounder Mohammedreza Shadloui Chiyaneh for ₹2.07 crores, while the Gujarat Giants got Guman Singh for ₹1.97 crore.

          Pro Kabaddi League Season 11 auction 2024 - Full list of players bought and for what price

          Telugu Titans and Bengal Warriors held on to their talismans by using their FBM cards to retain Pawan Sehrawat and Maninder Singh, respectively. Pardeep Narwal returned to Bengaluru Bulls, the team he made his PKL debut with, while Fazel Atrachali joined Maninder at the Bengal Warriorz

          ESPN takes a look at how the 12 teams fared the the PKL player auctions:

          Bengal Warriorz

          Grade: A+

          Best signing: Maninder Singh. The most consistent raider in PKL [his average over the last five seasons is a staggering 222 points] is back for a seventh consecutive season with the Warriorz.

          Auction summary: Not only did Bengal Warriorz bring back Maninder, they've also roped in PKL's most successful defender and captain - Fazel Atrachali. The Iranian, a legend in the world of kabaddi, will lead the defence that features the likes of former UP Yoddhas captain Nitesh Kumar and Mayur Kadam. Also watch out for Chinese Taipei's Chai-ming Chang, who was superb in the Asian Games and will aid Maninder in raiding duties.

          TL;DR: A superb auction for the Warriorz. Held onto their key man and brought in PKL's best defender in Fazel. Should reach the playoffs, at the very least.

          Maninder Singh: How PKL's strongest raider became its most consistent

          Bengaluru Bulls

          Grade: B-

          Best Signing: Ajinkya Pawar - a super fast raider, something that the Bulls really need.

          Auction summary: The Bulls really, really wanted Pawan to don their red jersey but lost out and instead brought in two raiders - Ajinkya and Pardeep Narwal, PKL's most successful raider of all time - for that price. Fun fact: Pardeep began his PKL career with Bengaluru Bulls, so the homecoming might just help him find his form again.

          The Bulls also spent big money to get Jai Bhagwan for ₹63 lakhs, giving them plenty of options in raiding. Saurabh Nandal was retained and he will marshal the defence, but they lack options in the cover positions.

          TL;DR: Went after Pawan again, did not get him again. Have three superb raiders and Pardeep's return is something to look forward to.x

          Dabang Delhi KC

          Grade: B-

          Best Signing: No real impact signings.

          Auction summary: The former champions are typically known for their raiders and needed a left raider, which Siddharth Desai duly filled up. Naveen Kumar and Ashu Malik were retained and that sorts out Dabang Delhi's raiding requirements, but they did not get their target men in defence - they furiously bid for Fazel Atrachali and Sunil Kumar but couldn't get either of the two. It'll be interesting to see how Joginder Narwal, former Dabang Delhi player and now head coach, shapes up this young squad.

          TL;DR: They have a new-look team and a new coach, but their success will depend on how injury-free Naveen and Siddharth will be this season.

          Gujarat Giants

          Grade: B+

          Best Signing: Guman Singh.

          Auction summary: Gujarat Giants went all-out to acquire the services of Guman Singh for ₹1.97 crore, who will take charge of their raiding department. Guman was among the top 10 raiders last season and will have plenty of support from Rakesh HS and Parteek Dahiya. The Giants used their FBM card to retain Iranian all-rounder Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh and fortified their defence by adding Sombir and Neeraj Kumar to their ranks as coach Ram Mehar Singh yearns to bring back the glory days to the Gujarat side.

          TL;DR: Addressed all their needs well and have assembled a balanced unit, a good outing overall for them.

          Haryana Steelers

          Grade: A+

          Best Signing: Mohammadreza Shadloui, the most exciting prospect in the world of kabaddi today. He can defend, raid and lead a team, making him a proper asset.

          Auction summary: The runners-up of last season, Haryana Steelers had covered most of their bases before the auction itself by retaining the core of their team. They knew what they wanted and fought off multiple bids to sign up Iranian powerhouse Mohammadreza Shadloui, who was PKL 10's best defender. Shadloui doesn't just defend, he also doubles up a tricky raider and his arrival in the Haryana Steelers setup gives them that x-factor. Shaldoui, much like coach Manpreet Singh, is a showman and an aggressive player and this link up will be interesting to watch.

          TL;DR: Retained their core. Were a dangerous team last season, now they are even stronger with Shadloui's arrival. This could very well be their season.

          Jaipur Pink Panthers

          Grade: B

          Best Signing: Surjeet Singh. Veteran defender, slightly past his prime, but can single-handedly win matches, as he did for Bengaluru Bulls last season.

          Auction summary: The two-time champions had a very busy auction. They retained their best performers in Arjun Deshwal [joint-highest raid points in PKL 10] and the defensive unit of Ankush Rathee and Reza Mirbagheri. With that as a base, they assembled a formidable raiding line for PKL 11 by signing on well-known names such as Shrikant Jadhav, Vikash Kandola and Neeraj Narwal. Surjeet will lead the young defence, which will complement the Panthers' raiding quartet.

          TL;DR: Brought on three quality raiders and a seasoned campaigner in Surjeet to man the defence, but there's a shift in the team's balance as it looks more attack-oriented this time.

          Arjun Deshwal - Jaipur Pink Panthers' raider for all seasons

          Patna Pirates

          Grade: B-

          Best Signing: South Korean raider Jang Kun Lee, who returns to PKL after four years.

          Auction summary: Patna Pirates, PKL's most successful team, bolstered their defence as they spent over ₹1.8 crore to sign right corner Shubham Shinde, all-rounder Gurdeep and right cover Deepak Singh. However, their raiding unit looks a little underwhelming as M. Sudhakar and Meetu Sharma are the main options, while the three-time champs will hope Lee can hit the ground running and lead this young raiding duo.

          TL;DR: Not the best of outings. The defence looks strong, but they lack an in-form lead raider.

          Puneri Paltan

          Grade: A

          Best Signing: They signed the least players and the pick amongst them is Ajith Kumar.

          Auction summary: Puneri Paltan didn't even need to be at the auction. The reigning champions have the youngest squad in the PKL and held on to all their stars: Aslam Inamdar, Mohit Goyat, Akash Shinde, Pankaj Mohite, Abinesh Nadarajan, Gaurav Khatri, Sanket Sawant, Aditya Shinde. That's eight names, meaning their starting seven is already decided. They've added Ajith Kumar to their already-packed raiding team and he will have to do something extraordinary to get game-time in PKL 11's best attacking side.

          TL;DR: Didn't even need to be at the auction, they have pretty much the same team as last season and are well-poised t\o become the first team since Patna to defend their title.

          Tamil Thalaivas

          Grade: A

          Best Signing: Sachin Tanwar - a brilliant raider and an expert of the do-or-die raid.

          Auction summary: Tamil Thalaivas have a squad that many will envy - Narender Kandola as a left raider, Sachin as a right raider, Sagar Rathee and Iran's Amirhossein Bastami on the right in defensive positions and Sahul Gulia in the left corner. They've got the best men in all the key positions and Iranian all-rounder Moein Safaghi slots in as an additional option. Sachin's arrival will unlock the true potential of this young, but lethal squad.

          TL;DR: Tamil Thalaivas have covered all their bases and are among the most balanced teams going into PKL 11.

          Telugu Titans

          Grade: B-

          Best Signing: Pawan Sehrawat. Retained him for ₹1.725 crore by using the FBM card.

          Auction summary: elugu Titans pulled off a smart move by releasing Pawan and brought him back on board at a lower price via their FBM card. They've once again built their team around Pawan, who will have more support in raiding this time around from Vijay Malik. The defence has also been strengthened as Krishan Dhull [PKL 10's second-best defender] has joined the side as they bid to end their miserable run of finishishing at the bottom of the table for three consecutive seasons.

          TL;DR: Held onto Pawan and have shored up their defence, but the majority of the squad is still young and lacks experience. However, veteran coach Krishan Kumar Hooda's arrival is a positive as the Titans aim to make their first playoff appearance

          U Mumba

          Grade: A+

          Best Signing: Sunil Kumar - one of the smartest captains on the mat and the architect of Jaipur Pink Panthers' win in PKL 9.

          Auction summary: U Mumba have re-united Sunil and Parvesh Bhainswal, who at one time, were the most feared defensive pairing in PKL. The two senior campaigners add sting to the U Mumba defence that was earlier led by Rinku. The season two champions also splurged to get Manjeet on board, who will be the lead raider alongside Iranian all-rounder Amirmohammad Zafardanesh.

          TL;DR: U Mumba have a formidable defensive line-up, a solid raiding unit and are primed to make it to the top-six.

          UP Yoddhas

          Grade: B

          Best Signing: Bharat Hooda. He was a tad off last season, but is a very clever raider and could be the answer to the Yoddhas' mis-firing raiding unit.

          Auction summary: UP Yoddhas released all their big names and shuffled up their squad for PKL11. They've replaced Pardeep Narwal with Bharat Hooda and Bhavani Rajput and already have Surender Gill with them - three tall raiders with excellent pace and reach. The defensive side of things also got an uplift with the signings of right cover Sahul Kumar, Iran's Mohammadreza Kaboudrahangi and the muscular Mahender Singh.

          TL;DR: Perhaps their best squad in years, they now have a perfectly balanced side that should fight for a playoff spot.