The Pro Kabaddi League auction 8 has started and the bidding is kicking off in Mumbai. It will be telecast live on Star Sports Network. The auction will conclude on August 31. A player can bid for as much as Rs 1.30 crore. The highest bidder on the first day was U.P. Yoddha, who outbid the Patna Pirates. The Patna Pirates have not yet exercised their FBM option. The auction also saw Pardeep Narwal becoming the highest-priced player ever sold in the history of the tournament.
The auction pool for PKL 8 includes more than 500 players. This includes players who have been released by previous teams, as well as new players from the domestic circuit and the Senior National Kabaddi Championships. The auction is held in accordance with the Season 7 guidelines, but it also allows teams to bid on players if they don’t have four Elite personnel.
The auction has been a tense affair so far. UP Yoddha purchased a player who was originally sold to the Puneri Paltan for INR 72 lakhs. A few players from the auction that did not find a buyer have also remained unsold.
Among the most exciting names to emerge at the auction are the Patna Pirates and the Telugu Titans. A Japanese defender was also acquired by the Bengal Warriors, who were bidding for a player with a base price of 10 lakhs. The Patna Pirates have also purchased a player from the Category C category.
The auction is expected to conclude at 6:38 PM IST. The auction has brought back a few big names, such as Vishal Mane. As with the last season, the league will have a minimum of 18 players on their roster. However, it is expected that some players who had not found bidders are set to be auctioned off.
Despite the low number of players on the first day, the action will resume shortly after the break. In the first round of auctions, both domestic and overseas players will go under the hammer. The auctions will be broadcast on the Star Sports network and Disney+ Hotstar. However, the auctions of Category A domestic players will be broadcast on Disney+ Hotstar and Star Sports Network.
The auction also saw the release of a player who has played for the Thalaivas for the last two seasons. This all-rounder, who has played for the Tamil team until last season, has accumulated over three hundred points in 120 games. If you want to catch a glimpse of his performance, watch the auction on these networks.