The Pro Kabaddi Season 5 auction, held earlier this week, was a huge payday for some of the biggest stars and future prospects in the sport as various familiar faces along with some relatively unknown quantities were snapped up by the 12 teams for large sums of money.
Household names such as Manjeet Chhillar and Rohit Kumar were bought at hefty prices and young guns such as K Selvamani and Suraj Desai were also signed for considerable amounts as teams splashed almost Rs 47 crore for a total of 227 players.
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However, there was one major name missing from the list of 227, in the form of defender Sandeep Dhull. There was a collective hush around the room when his name came up in the auction, with teams expected to bid aggressively for the services of the 21-year-old. But, it was not to be.
Also read: Pro Kabaddi 2017 Season 5: Full List of players bought by all the teams
One of the shining stars of the last two Pro Kabaddi seasons, Dhull went unsold as no team raised the paddle and the auctioneer was forced to send him into the reserved list of players. Listed in Category A with some of the best in the business, he was widely expected to be one of the most sought-after defenders at the auction but much to everyone’s disbelief, no team were willing to start off proceedings at his Rs 20 lakh base price.
Dhull was hyped up as one to watch out for at the auction and for good reason too. He was in the Dabang Delhi side in season two but it was in the next one that he caught the eye with the side from the capital, emerging as a silver lining in what had been a horrible campaign for his team.
Delhi finished last in Season 3, winning just one out of their 14 matches and sat rock bottom on the points table. Renowned names such as Kashiling Adake and Ravinder Pahal were struggling to perform when it mattered and it was then that Dhull emerged and became the mainstay of his side’s defense.
He finished the third season with the most super tackles in the league (6) and averaged a decent 2.6 successful tackles per game, especially given Delhi’s poor season. And after this impressive showing, he was promptly snapped up by the Telugu Titans for season four.
With the Hyderabad side, Dhull built on showing in the previous season and went from strength to strength. He formed a formidable partnership with namesake Sandeep Narwal as the duo manned the corners for the Titans, with Dhull achieving a fantastic successful tackle percentage of 52.23% over the season.
After two fantastic seasons, the young gun was not bid for by the Titans or any of the remaining 11 sides at the Season 5 auction, leaving fans scratching their heads. However, it has been made clear why Dhull was not any franchise’s choice.
A source, who is a part of the Telugu Titans set up, told Sportskeeda, “With Sandeep, there were no injury issues as such. He had an attitude problem, which is why he was not our preferred choice in his position.”
It is a shame that a player of Dhull’s potential and caliber will not be a part of the Pro Kabaddi League this year. Here’s hoping he is able to resolve the issue and we can see him in action in the coming future!
Related: Telugu Titans Team Players for Pro Kabaddi 2017, Season 5
