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We're less than a day away from the Pro Kabaddi 2022 auction. The teams have announced the players they will retain and those they are letting go.
With the likes of Pardeep Narwal, Pawan Sehrawat, Fazel Atrachali, and Abhishek Singh among those released, there's plenty of excitement about where these players will end up and how much they will cost.
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The PKL auctions have continued to grow in terms of the amount teams spend, with UP Yoddha setting the record for the highest bid when buying Pardeep Narwal last season (₹1.65 crore). There is a good chance that the record could get broken in this year's auction with an increase in teams' purses and the quality of talent on offer.
So without further ado, let's look at five raiders who could cross the ₹1.5 crore mark at the auction.
#5 Sachin Tanwar
After a solid season with the Patna Pirates, Sachin Tanwar's stock would most definitely have risen, making him a candidate to gross a winning bid above ₹1.5 crore.
Having plied his trade for another defense-heavy Gujarat side, Sachin fit Patna's defense-first playing style of the Pirates, putting in consistent and smart raiding performances. He's capable of hitting the heights that the likes of Pawan Sehrawat and Naveen Kumar hit if he puts in enough raids. Sachin shared raiding responsibilities with Monu Goyat and Prashanth Kumar Rai last season.
Another crucial facet of his game is his prowess in do-or-die raids. Scoring 40 points in do-or-die situations in PKL 8, he's among the best in the league at raiding in pressure situations, something that head coaches would admire.
Sachin's points haul last season and his contribution to Patna's excellent season should attract heavy bids for his services this time out. We could see teams break the bank to sign him.
#4 Siddharth Desai
Siddharth Desai has been one of the most expensive players at the PKL auction, going for ₹1.45 crores and ₹1.30 crores in the last two seasons, respectively. Unfortunately, his PKL 2021 campaign for the Telugu Titans was cut short after only three matches by a season-ending wrist injury.
However, Desai's now fully fit and raring to go for the new season, and you would expect teams to go big for him yet again. If he manages to keep fit for the entire season, Siddharth Desai can be a devastating and dominating raiding force. He scored more than 200 raid points in PKL 6 and 7 with minimum fuss.
Desai has both the physical presence and the agility to trouble the opposition defense, and at his peak, he could rival the likes of Pawan Sehrawat or Pardeep Narwal.
While some teams may be reluctant to go all-out for him after his injury last season, you'd expect most team coaches to recognize how good a raider Desai is. It'd be surprising if he grosses a bid less than at least ₹1 crore.
#3 Pardeep Narwal
'Record-Breaker' Pardeep Narwal was released by UP Yoddha ahead of the Pro Kabaddi auction 2022 in a rather surprising move. Moving away after an extraordinary five-season stint with the Patna Pirates, Pardeep joined UP Yoddha for PKL 2021 for a whopping ₹1.65 crore, the highest-ever in PKL history.
Despite a sub-par start to the season, the 'Dubki King' regained his touch and finished the season as the seventh-highest points scorer, with 188 points in 24 matches. While the gulf between his numbers and that of Pawan Sehrawat seemed large last season, one would expect Pardeep to be back among the top raiders of PKL quite soon.
At only 26, Pardeep is the highest points-scorer in PKL history, and he will aim to extend his lead over his competitors. He has a great chance of garnering a winning bid of more than ₹1.5 crores this season as well.
#2 Abhishek Singh
Despite another solid season with U Mumba, Abhishek Singh will find himself back at the auction table after being released by the PKL 2 winners. He made waves in PKL Season 6 when U Mumba paid ₹42.5 lakhs for him in what was a hefty price for a relatively unknown player.
Singh has scored 163 and 177 raid points in the last two PKL seasons and looks like he can only get better. The 23-year-old is yet to reach the peak of his playing career, and his performances at this stage bode well for his future potential.
Abhishek is among the most highly-rated players in the PKL circuit, and teams should be willing to bid big to secure his services for PKL 2022. Having been retained for ₹87 lakhs last season, it won't be a surprise if Abhishek ends up with a bid of over ₹1.5 crore at the auction.
#1 Pawan Sehrawat
Arguably the best Pro Kabaddi player across the last three seasons, it was a shock to see the Bengaluru Bulls release Pawan Sehrawat ahead of the auction. Pawan was the highest point-scorer in PKL 2021, scoring 304 raid points and 16 tackle points. He led the Bengaluru Bulls to the semi-finals.
Retained for only ₹86.6 lakhs last season, you'd expect Pawan Sehrawat to fetch way more than that at the auction. He's arguably the best player in the league at the moment, and if used effectively, he can drive whichever team he plays for in a push for the title.
Nearly every franchise should try to get Pawan, albeit within their budgetary limits. He's easily the most likely to garner a winning bid of more than ₹1.5 crore.
