The second day of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) auction saw talismanic raider Pardeep Narwal smashed an all-time record and become the highest-ever bought kabaddi player in the history of the tournament.
He was bought by the ‘UP Yoddha’ for Rs 1.65 crore on Monday for the upcoming season 8, which will take place in December. Pardeep has now quashed the record of another star raider Monu Goyat, who was bought by the 'Haryana Steelers' for Rs 1.51 crore in Season 6.
Meanwhile, Siddharth Desai was retained by the 'Telugu Titans' via the Final Bid Match (FBM) card for Rs 1.30 crore from his base price of Rs 30 lakh.
As for the auction, more than 22 overseas players were sold on the second day. The 'Patna Pirates' used their FBM card to retain South Korean raider Jang Kun Lee at Rs 20.5 lakh.
All-rounder Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh (base price Rs 10 lakh), was sold to the 'Patna Pirates' for Rs 31 lakh, while the ‘Bengal Warriors' bought defender Abozar Mohajermighani, bidding for him at Rs 30.5 lakh from the base price of Rs 20 lakh.
As for Rahul Chaudhari, he will now play for the 'Puneri Paltans' while the 'Jaipur Pink Panthers' used both the FBM cards to retain captain Deepak Niwas Hooda and Sandeep Kumar Dhull.
The 'Tamil Thalaivas' bid for raider Manjeet from his base price of Rs 30 lakh and bought him in for Rs 92 lakh.
Rohit Gulia is another player who grabbed eyeballs after he was sold to the 'Haryana Steelers' for Rs 83 lakh, a jump from his Rs 25-lakh price tag with the 'Gujarat Giants' in Season 7.
Top 5 Indian players: Pardeep Narwal Rs 1.65 crore — UP Yoddha; Siddharth Desai Rs 1.30 crore — Telugu Titans; Manjeet Rs 92 lakh — Tamil Thalaivas; Sachin Rs 84 lakh — Patna Pirates; Rohit Gulia Rs 83 lakh — Haryana Steelers.
