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PKL Auction 2021 ended on a high note with lots of surprises. There was intense strategizing and some memorable bidding wars. All the 12 teams have filled their respective squads with many talented names for the eighth season of the PKL, slated to take place in December this year.
The 'record-breaker' Pardeep Narwal became the most expensive player in the history of PKL auctions after the UP Yoddha broke the bank and signed him for a whopping ₹1.65 crore for PKL 8. The winning bid by UP Yoddha broke the previous record held by Monu Goyat, who was sold to the Haryana Steelers for ₹1.51 crore.
Fans witnessed another player joining the elite crorepati club this time - Siddharth Sirish Desai. The 'Bahubali' returned to the Telugu Titans after the team exercised their Final Bid Match (FBM) card at ₹1.30 crore on the second day of the auction.
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The auction threw up several surprises with teams showing less interest in the many seasoned players who have proven their worth in the PKL time and again. Those players are big-match stars who were expecting a decent paycheck at the PKL Auction 2021.
In this listicle, let's look at those five players who were surprisingly underpaid at PKL Auction 2021.
5 players who were shockingly underpaid at PKL Auction 2021:
#5 Deepak Niwas Hooda - ₹55 lakh, Jaipur Pink Panthers (FBM)
The Jaipur Pink Panthers reaffirmed their faith in last season's captain Deepak Niwas Hooda when they exercised their Final Bid Match card on him at just ₹55 lakh at the PKL Auction 2021.
A household name who has been playing in the league since its inaugural edition, Deepak Niwas Hooda is known as one of the most consistent performers in the PKL. He holds the record for being the best all-rounder for all three teams that he has represented in the PKL thus far.
Deepak is the third-best raider in PKL history with 856 raid points and 31 Super 10s to his name. The 27-year-old all-rounder has also been prominent at the left cover position with 87 tackle points and four High 5s.
Jaipur Pink Panthers made a massive steal as nobody showed interest in Deepak Hooda, who was the first player to go under the hammer from Category A in the auction.
#4 Mahender Singh - ₹50 lakh, Bengaluru Bulls (FBM)
Rock-solid left cover Mahender Singh will be spearheading the defense for the Bangalore-based franchise once again, as the Bengaluru Bulls used their FBM card for the 'Bulldozer' at just ₹50 lak only.
The Himachal Pradesh-born burly defender is known for his hard-hitting dashes and fantastic blocks from the left cover. Mahender Singh has been the most successful defender for the Bengaluru Bulls in history, with 181 tackle points and 12 High-5s to his name.
Ahead of PKL Auction 2021, Bengaluru Bulls released Mahender Singh into the auction pool. Quality defenders were at a premium during the auction. It was evident that the Bengaluru Bulls would have even considered retaining him through the FBM card for a bigger amount if he was to get more bids.
The Bengaluru Bulls getting him for just ₹50 lakh was a solid acquisition for the side at such a bargain price.
#3 Sandeep Dhull - ₹45 lakh, Jaipur Pink Panthers (FBM)
Jaipur Pink Panthers are thought to have been lucky during the auction of Category 'A' players as the Abhishek Bachchan-owned side retained both of their star players for a low price. After receiving Deepak Hooda for a mere ₹55 lakh, left corner Sandeep Dhull was their second notable steal through the FBM card at just ₹45 lakh.
Sandeep Dhull, a prominent left corner who made his sensational comeback in PKL 6 with the Jaipur Pink Panthers, has been a mainstay for the franchise since then. One of the finest left corners known for his diving thigh holds: Sandeep has scored 67 and 73 tackle points in Seasons 6 & 7, respectively.
Sandeep Dhull was also the fourth-best defender in the seventh season. Many couldn’t fathom why no one got into a bidding war for the ace left corner.
Sandeep Dhull will be leading the defensive pack once again, with Amit Hooda in the other corner. Sandeep-Amit's pair will look to prove themselves as a formidable unit in PKL 8.
#2 Rahul Chaudhari - ₹40 lakh, Puneri Paltan
'Showman' Rahul Chaudhari has been a sensational performer in the PKL, becoming the second-only player to cross 1,000 total points in the league.
Rahul was among the top names from Category A heading into the auction after his former franchise Tamil Thalaivas parted ways with him. He was expected to get a decent paycheck at this year's auction.
Puneri Paltan's head coach Anup Kumar was grateful after buying the 'Showman' for just ₹40 lakh at the auction.
"Having a star raider like him in the squad at just ₹40 lakhs was a steal for us."
Rahul Chaudhari will anchor the raiding unit for Puneri Paltan in the eighth edition of the PKL along with Nitin Tomar. He was someone who led the attack for the Telugu Titans for the first six seasons with over 800 raid points for the Hyderabad-based franchise.
It was a surprise to see Rahul Chaudhari sparking no interest among the other teams at PKL Auction 2021.
#1 Rohit Kumar - ₹36 lakh, Telugu Titans
Getting a captain like Rohit Kumar for just ₹36 lakh at the auction was a massive steal for the Telugu Titans at the PKL Auction 2021. After the Bengaluru Bulls parted ways with their former captain, who has won them the PKL trophy, Rohit Kumar was expected to earn a fat sum at the auction.
Rohit, the Most Valuable Player (MYP) of Season 3, has been a 2-time Pro Kabaddi champion. With 102 raid points for the Pira he played a dominating role for them to clinch their inaugural trophy. He then moved to the Bengaluru Bulls, where he led the franchise for four seasons.
The Bengaluru Bulls won the title in PKL 6, as Rohit Kumar essayed the role of a calm and composed leader to take the team to the trophy. He is the second-most successful raider for the Bangalore-based franchise, with 568 raid points to his name.
The Telugu Titans have done well to get such an experienced campaigner like Rohit at such a low price. Rohit will lead the pack along with Siddharth Desai in the upcoming eighth edition as the Titans look to clinch their first-ever PKL trophy in Season 8.
