In a stunning development ahead of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) auction, Pardeep Narwal and Pawan Kumar Sehrawat have been released by their respective teams, UP Yoddha and Bengaluru Bulls. Both teams have confirmed their retention lists, which don't feature the two stalwarts of Indian kabaddi.
Both Pardeep Narwal and Pawan Sehrawat will thus go under the hammer at this year's PKL Auction. Other big names that have been released by their respective franchises include Abhishek Singh, Fazel Atrachali, Manjeet Chhillar, Surender Nada, Deepak Niwas Hooda, Rahul Chaudhari, Siddharth Desai, and Rohit Kumar.
Which players have been retained ahead of Pro Kabaddi League 9 Auction?
The Pro Kabaddi League auction will take place on August 5 and 6. Here is the full list of Elite Retained Players (ERP) by the 12 teams:
Bengal Warriors: Maninder Singh, Manoj Gowda, Akash Pikalmunde
Bengaluru Bulls: Mahender Singh, Mayur Kadam, More GB
Dabang Delhi KC: Vijay
Gujarat Giants: Sonu
Haryana Steelers: No Elite Retained Players
Jaipur Pink Panthers: Arjun Deshwal, Sahul Kumar
Patna Pirates: Mohammadreza Chiyaneh, Sajin C, Neeraj Kumar, Monu
Puneri Paltan: Sombir, Abhinesh Nadarajan
Tamil Thalaivas: Ajinkya Pawar
Telugu Titans: No Elite Retained Players
U Mumba: Rinku
UP Yoddha: Nitesh Kumar
Haryana Steelers and Telugu Titans looking to make a fresh start in PKL 9
The Haryana Steelers and Telugu Titans are the only two teams to have decided against retaining any players in the Elite Category. They will have the majority of their auction purses available to spend on August 5 and 6. It should not be a surprise if one of the two teams ends up signing Pardeep Narwal or Pawan Sehrawat.
With just a week to go for the auction, the level of excitement among kabaddi fans is sky high after the release of the retention lists.