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The Pro Kabaddi League season 7 auction took place on the 8th and 9th of April, where a total of 442 players went under the hammer. Some extreme bidding wars and unanticipated changes took place.
Siddharth Sirish Desai, the mojo player who made a debut from U Mumba last year, became the priciest player of season 7 after Telugu Titans bagged him for a leviathan price of ₹145 lakhs.
Nitin Tomar, after Puneri Paltan used their Final Bid Match card on him, became the second costliest player with ₹120 lakhs in his bag.
Surprisingly enough, Monu Goyat, Rahul Chaudhari and Rishank Devadiga weren't even able to cross the one crore mark.
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While Chaudhari became a part of some other team, i.e., Tamil Thalaivas for the first time, UP Yoddhas bought both Rishank Devadiga and Monu Goyat for a pretty reasonable price.
Mahender Singh, one crucial player from the defending champions Bengaluru Bulls' squad, was declared the most expensive defender of the auction. Bulls' management whipped their FBM cards out and bought him for ₹80 lakhs.
Talking of foreign players, Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibaksh became the costliest player after Bengal Warriors cashed out ₹77.75 lakhs for him. Abozar Mighani also being a lucky charm, was brought back by Telegu Titans for ₹75 lakhs.
Let us now have a look at the most expensive playing seven of this year's installment of Pro Kabaddi League:
Raiders
Siddharth Desai: Siddharth Sirish Desai, the paradigm of excellence, who made a debut last season from U Mumba, became the most expensive player of the auction getting the fattest check worth ₹145 lakhs from Telugu Titans.
The teams insisted on having his bid start directly from one crore. Undoubtedly, almost every team wanted him. The biggest shocker of the night was U Mumba's denial of the use of FBM on him.
Well, the player is promising as we all know, but he has just been part of a single season and experience is crucial. Desai has scored a total of 221 points in just 21 matches.
Nitin Tomar: Nitin Tomar has been in the headlines ever since he became the most expensive player in season 5. Tomar's price has then increased with each passing season.
During the season 7 auction, a good amount of teams wanted him to be a part of their squad. However, Puneri Paltan played their Final Bid Match card and made Nitin a part of the squad for ₹120 lakhs.
This 24-year-old raider made a debut in season 3 representing the Bengal Warriors and has scored 394 points in 53 matches till date.
Rahul Chaudhari: Rahul Chaudhari made a debut in the first season of the league, from Telugu Titans. Known as the poster boy ever since the inception of PKL, he is the current holder of the best raider's position.
Chaudhari was a part of the Titans since the first season until they decided to release him for the seventh edition of the league.
At the auctions, Tamil Thalaivas won his bidding at ₹94 lakhs. Now, Rahul will be seen wearing the golden-blue robes of the Thalaivas in the upcoming season.
This tall-raider has scooped in a total of 876 points in 100 matches and also became the first player to crack the 800-point mark in the league.
Defenders
Mahender Singh: This ace defender was procured by Bengaluru Bulls during the auction as they bought Mahender Singh once again for ₹80 lakhs, using their Final Bid Match Card.
Singh picked 63 points in 24 matches last season. In the span of just two seasons, this left-cover defender has scored 141 points in 46 matches. He will be an essential part of the team in the upcoming season.
Surender Nada: Surender Nada, one of the most popular players of Pro Kabaddi, made a debut in season 1 from U Mumba. He has won the trophy in the second season as his team thrashed Bengaluru Bulls in the finals.
Nada was released by his team in the fourth season when he made a shift to Bengaluru Bulls. Both fifth and sixth seasons saw him play for Haryana.
Patna Pirates bought him during the season 7 auctions for ₹77 lakhs.
This brawny defender, who was unable to play last season due to an injury, has pitched in a total of 243 points in 71 matches.
Parvesh Bhainswal: Parvesh, who played for the first time in PKL when Jaipur Pink Panthers picked him for the fourth season, is one of the best defenders of the league.
Giants gave him a chance to shine in season 5. He, paired up with Sunil Kumar in Gujarat and created magic on the mat.
Gujarat Fortune Giants put their FBM to great use and bought this prodigy for ₹75 lakhs. Till date, this young left-cover defender has scored 137 points in 56 matches.
All-rounder
Sandeep Narwal: Sandeep Narwal, one of the most agile players of the PKL, played his first match in the first season itself, playing for the Patna Pirates. His team was crowned champions in season 3 with his massive contribution.
Patna Pirates released him just after the third season and that's when Telugu Titans bought him for the fourth installment of the league. Both fifth and sixth seasons passed as he became a part of Pune's squad.
For this season, U Mumba took his bid up to ₹89 lakhs and bought him for the seventh season. This burly all-rounder has scored a total of 483 points in 101 matches till date.
Don't forget to watch the seventh edition of the Pro Kabaddi League, which will commence on the 19th of July!
