In order to attract more young players to compete in the popular league, the organisers announced on Friday that 24 players from the top-two teams of the Khelo India University Games, 2021, will be included in the auction pool.
Over 500 players, including 24 from Khelo India University Games, in PKL player auction (Picture Credits - IANS)
According to PKL organisers Mashal Sports, more than 500 kabaddi players are expected to compete when the Pro Kabaddi League Season 9 player auction takes place in Mumbai on August 5-6.
In order to attract more young players to compete in the popular league, the organisers announced on Friday that 24 players from the top-two teams of the Khelo India University Games, 2021, will be included in the auction pool.
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Domestic, Overseas, and New Young Players (NYPs) will be divided into four categories in the player auction: A, B, C, and D. Within each category, the players will be further subdivided as ‘All-Rounders,’ ‘Defenders,’ and ‘Raiders.’
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The starting prices for each category are as follows: Rs 30 lakhs for Category A, Rs 20 lakhs for Category B, Rs 10 lakhs for Category C, and Rs 6 lakhs for Category D. Each franchise has a total salary budget of Rs 4.4 crore for its squad for Season 9.
The league commissioner, Anupam Goswami, said, “Every season has witnessed the emergence of new talented players and I am certain there are a lot of surprises in store for us this year as well. I look forward to welcoming the young talents from the Khelo India University Games into the player auctions. PKL Season 9 will be organized in liaison with our stakeholders and associates in the national kabaddi ecosystem under the AKFI.”
According to league policies, PKL teams may also retain players from their respective PKL Season 8 squads. In each PKL season, franchises may retain up to six players under the ‘Elite Retained Players’ category and up to four ‘New Young Players’ (NYPs) under certain conditions. The players who are not retained by the franchises from a pool of 500-plus players will be auctioned off during a two-day auction in Mumbai.
Satyam Trivedi, head, Adani Sportsline, said, “After a successful Season 8, all the players are eagerly waiting to step on the mat once again. We at Gujarat Giants are looking forward to some exciting bids and build a strong squad for the upcoming Season 9.”
(Inputs from IANS)
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