We Look at 5 most expensive players in the auction of Pro Kabaddi Season 8.
Pardeep Narwal – INR 1.65 crore
Pardeep Narwal’s INR 1.65 crore bid broke the record for the all-time most expensive player in Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) history. The raider was bagged by U.P. Yoddha after Patna Pirates, Pardeep’s former team decided against using the FBM card for him after U.P upped their bid from 1.50 to 1.65 cr. Pardeep is the only player in PKL to score over 1000 raid points and has been in the top two for most point scorers since the third edition of PKL.
Siddharth Desai – INR 1.30 crore
Siddharth Desai was bought back by Telugu Titans for 1 crore 30 lakhs by using the FBM card. The Titans saved 15 lakhs from PKL 7 auctions. “Baahubali” didn’t set the world alight in Pro Kabaddi Season 7, but Telugu Titans will hope he recovers the form he showed for U Mumba in PKL 6.
Arjun Deshwal – INR 96 lakhs
The biggest surprise of Pro Kabaddi Season 8 auctions. Army raider Arjun Deshwal bagged the rewards of a breakout season 7 with U Mumba and fine form in the Senior nationals and the inter services tournament. Jaipur struggled with their raiding last season and the Pink Panthers will hope Arjun Deshwal delivers on his promise and shoulders the burden of leading Jaipur’s raiding department.
Manjeet – INR 92 lakhs
The tall lanky raider was bought by Tamil Thalaivas after an intense bidding war. Thalaivas struggled with their raiding department in PKL 7, and coach Uday Kumar has hand picked Manjeet as the man to lead their raiding department. The Services raider has shown glimpses of his potential but has struggled for consistency. The former Patna and Pune raider also regularly chips in with vital tackle points.
Sachin Tanwar – INR 84 lakh
It was something of a surprise when Gujarat Giants decided against opting to retain Sachin Tanwar for Pro Kabadi Season 8. Sachin was a key player for the Giants since their inception however, he struggled for form and fitness in Pro Kabaddi Season 7. Patna Pirates who needed a raider after opting against using the FBM card for Pardeep Narwal identified Sachin as the raider to lead their attack and went all-out for him. Pirates coach Ram Mehar Singh will hope Sachin has put his injury troubles behind him and rediscovers the form that led Gujarat to successive finals.
