New Delhi, Sep 1: Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) 2021 UP Yoddha made the most expensive buy of the PKL Auction 2021 as they bid a whopping sum of Rs 1.65 crore for star raider Pardeep Narwal. Narwal thus became the most expensive player in the history of the tournament.
Apart from Pardeep, UP Yoddha made some interesting buys in the PKL Auction during the three-day bidding process that took place in Mumbai on August 29, 30, and 31.
At the auction, UP Yoddha spent Rs 4.12 crores to buy 15 players with an aim to strengthen their squad ahead of season eight.
After a two-year gap due to the coronavirus pandemic, the upcoming season of the PKL is set to get underway in December.
The New Young Players (NYP) draft was carried out on August 29, while the overseas and Category A players and Category A (domestic players) went under the hammer on August 30. The auction for the players in categories B, C, and D took place on August 31.
Over 190 players were sold to the 12 franchises teams with as many as 10 Final Bid Match (FBM) cards being used. The auction witnessed teams spend Rs 48.22 Cr in total, across the various categories of players being auctioned.
U Mumba Squad 2021: Players List and Full Team for PKL Season 8
Yoddha roped in raider Shrikant Jadhav by putting a bid of Rs 72 lakh. Iranian raider Mohammad Taghi Paein Mahali was the most expensive overseas player for the franchise after he was roped in for Rs 12 lac. Another Iranian raider Md Masud Karim was bought for Rs 10 lac by the franchise.
The franchise bought all-rounder Nitin Panwar for an undisclosed price, while retained the likes of Nitesh Kumar, Surender Gill, Sumit, and Ashu Singh.
Here's how the UP Yoddha squad looks like ahead of the eighth season of the Pro Kabaddi League.
UP Yoddha Full Squad, Total Money Spent, Purse Remaining ahead of the PKL 2021 Season:
Purse Amount: Rs 4.40 cr
Total Spent: Rs 4.12 cr
Remaining Purse: 27.53 lac
Full squad composition after auction:
Raiders: 8
Defenders: 5
All-rounders: 2
Full list of retained players:
Retained Young Players
Nitesh Kumar - Defender
Existing New Young Players
Sumit - Defender
Ashu Singh - Defender
Surinder Gill - Raider
Players bought at auction:
Aashish Nagar - Defender - Right Corner, Category-C - Rs 10 lac
Ankit - Raider - Category-C - Rs 10 lac
Gulveer Singh - Raider, Category-C - Rs 10 lac
Sahil - Raider, Category-C - Rs 10 lac
Gaurav Kumar - Defender - Left Corner, Category-C - Rs 10 lac
Gurdeep - All-Rounder, Category-C - Rs 10 lac
Shrikant Jadhav - Raider, Category-A - Rs 72 lac
Pardeep Narwal - Raider, Category-A - Rs 1.65 cr
Md. Masud Karim - Raider, Category-C - Rs 10 lac
Mohammad Taghi Paein Mahali - Raider, Category-C - Rs 12 lac
Nitin Panwar - All-Rounder, NYP - Undisclosed