Stars up for grabs at PKL auction

CHENNAI: Big names such as Pardeep Narwal and Pawan Sehrawat will be up for grabs at the Pro Kabaddi League Season 9 auction, which will be held in Mumbai on Friday and Saturday.

More than 500 players, including 45 foreigners from eight countries, will go under the hammer at the twoday auction. The players have been divided into four categories – A, B, C & D. The base prices are as follows: Category A – Rs 30 lakh, B – Rs 20 lakh, C – Rs 10 lakh and D – Rs 6 lakh. The players will further be sub-divided into raiders, all-rounders and defenders depending on their specialisations. The total purse amount is Rs 4.4 crore.

With 11 players already in its roster, Tamil Thalaivas, which is yet to qualify for the play-offs, will look to build a squad that will be able to end the drought. “The auction always brings high excitement. It is time to get to our excel sheets to help us find the right players and the perfect balance. It is essential we assemble a strong team that would execute our strategies precisely during the season,” said Thalaivas whole-time director Nikhil Bharadwaj.