Pro Kabaddi League Season 9 auction has concluded and the participating franchises with new rosters are ready to roar. A total of 126 players across four categories went under the hammer over the course of two days. Fans are charged up witnessing the changes in their respective rosters and also hyped up to see what their new knights are up to.
The auction saga came up with a lot of surprises and rewarded a lot of new faces with big prices to show up for the upcoming season. Meanwhile, we also saw many renowned faces not receiving any interest from the PKL franchises and going for the unfortunate fate of being unsold. Hence let’s have a look at the five raiders who received the highest bids in the auction round of Pro Kabaddi Season 9.
#5 Mohammad Nabibakhsh (Puneri Paltan) – 87 Lac
Nabibakhsh is currently regarded as one of the deadliest all-rounders in the world and the PKL Universe has witnessed the wrath of the Iranian. He has also made some significant tackle points contribution to his team however, his raiding prowess outclasses it. Breaking the spread stereotypes of Iranian raiders, the 30-year-old has a vast offensive skill set and technically acclaimed play style.
When the Bengal Warriors’ marquee raider Maninder dislocated his shoulder right before the playoffs of PKL 7, the foreigner led his franchise to their maiden title triumph. He is one of the very few players who have achieved the extraordinary feat of scoring Super 10 and High 5 in a single match. During his two-year stint with the Kolkata-based outfit, he fetched 181 raid points and played a vital role as a supporting raider to their strike-arrow Maninder Singh.
Nabibakhsh has followed the footsteps of his coach BC Ramesh who also switched his flank to join the Puneri Paltan side. He was the second player of the PKL 9 auctions who went under the hammer and the Maharashtrian outfit made no delays to grab at the auctioned price of 87 lac. Pune’s raiding artillery is filled with young talents like Aslam Inamdar, Akash Shinde, Mohit Goyat, Pankaj Mohite etc and the Iranian’s experience will add more strength to it.
#4 Pardeep Narwal (UP Yoddha) – 90 Lac
The record-breaker is not going anywhere!
The man who needs no introduction and has played a pivotal role in revolutionizing modern-day raiding. Even though his previous season was not up to the mark, every PKL franchise had ambitions to acquire the services of the three-time PKL winner. However, his auction price of 90 lac is much less than the highest bid of the previous season which was 1.65 crore.
The Haryana-based raider’s former coach Ram Mehar Singh who is now serving as a head coach to Gujarat Giants made all possible efforts to bring him to his side. The Giants outbid all other competitors to submit a final bid of 90 lac but then the UP Yoddha side proceeded to use the FBM card and kept him in their roster. The 26-year-old will be seen wearing the Red and Blue colours of the Yoddhas once again at the grandest stage of Kabaddi.
The Northerners have once again put up their faith in the Dubki King hence it will be very interesting to see whether he lives up to expectations or not. In his previous PKL campaign, the record-breaker could score 188 raid points which was his lowest individual tally since the fourth edition. He will be accompanying the man-in form Surender Gill and the local starlet Nitin Tomar in the offensive of UPY.
#3 Guman Singh (U Mumba) – 1.21 crore
The most surprising feature on the list is the youngster Guman Singh Rajput who played the Grand Finale of PKL 8 with Patna Pirates. The Haryana-based raider who played the supporting roles in the past few campaigns is now set to aim big in the upcoming season. Former Patna coach Ram Mehar Singh also called him the next big thing in the Kabaddi in many interviews during his stint with the Pirates.
The stylish assailant was introduced to the Pro Kabaddi stage by Jaipur Pink Panthers in the PKL 7 however, he moved to the three-time champions in the very next season. Patna’s offensive unit was already filled with the likes of Sachin Tanwar, Monu Goyat and Prashanth Kumar Rai and still, the young gun was able to make his own mark. He scored 95 raid points in 19 appearances at a strike rate of 47.5% in his breakthrough Season 8.
U Mumba management was determined to state that Guman is the one who will carry forward the legacy of Anup Kumar, Rishank Devadiga and Siddharth Desai. Mumbai’s highest bid of 1.21 crore made him the first and only Category B player who got sold at an eight-digit price. The 23-year-old will be leading the attacking line of the second edition champions which also consists of other youngsters Ashish Narwal and Shivam Thakur.
#2 Vikash Kandola (Bengaluru Bulls) – 1.78 crore
The Iceman Vikash Kandola ready to play with fire
After Manjeet Chhillar, Rohit Kumar and Pawan Sehrawat, it’s time for Vikash Kandola to step out as the Bulls’ superstar. The Bengaluru gaffer had no doubts in choosing his railway disciple as his strike raider after the departure of Powerstar Pawan. Haryana Steelers will be gracing the PKL stage for the first time without having him on the roster as the 24-year-old was part of his home franchise since Day 1.
Kandola emerged as the face of Haryana Steelers after leading their raiding unit ever since the inception of the franchise. He was also rewarded with the responsibility of captaincy in the previous season and led the Dhakad Boys with pride. The pocket dynamo of Haryana scored 174 raid points from 22 appearances of Season 8 and became their top scorer for a straight third season.
The Railways star is the most suitable contender to be the next general of Bengaluru Bulls and can be seen leading them in his debut season. Replacing Pawan Sehrawat in this Bengaluru side will be a big challenge for anyone as the latter one had lion’s share in their recent dominance however, Vikash has true potential to succeed him. The Bulls have also signed the emerging star Neeraj Narwal to relieve the pressure from the shoulders of Vikash while the likes of Bharat Hooda and GB More are already there.
#1 Pawan Kumar Sehrawat (Tamil Thalaivas) – 2.26 crore
The news of PKL’s biggest superstar leaving his home broke the internet and generated a worldwide buzz in the Kabaddi universe. The Bulls management was quite sure that they will be buying him back but the odds were strongly not favouring the possibility due to the interest of other franchises. And exactly the same thing happened as the competitors took him too far that it was impossible for them to use the FBM card and match the highest bid.
The Chennai-based outfit has chosen the 26-year-old as their new Thalaivas and paid a record-breaking amount of 2.26 crore to snatch him from neighbours. He was the biggest attraction of the PKL 9 auctions as the franchises turned the bidding hall into the battlefield to acquire his services.
With 986 raid points from 104 PKL career appearances, the high-flyer is the third-highest in all-time individual raiding charts and is winning the prestigious ‘Green Armband’ for the last three seasons.
Randhir Singh Sehrawat whom Pawan considers his Godfather was seen in tears when he realised that his brightest student will no longer be part of his squad. The Bengaluru gaffer played a key role in his rise from the Railways ranks and receives credit for making him the star he is today. It will be very interesting to see Pawan forming a partnership with the Maharashtrian youngster and his fellow teammate Ajinkya Pawar in the forthcoming season.