When the Pro Kabaddi League auctions took place for the very first time prior to the inaugural edition, Rakesh Kumar emerged as the most expensive player with a price tag of INR 12 lakh.
Since then, until now, kabaddi has grown by leaps and bounds with four editions of the very successful domestic league and a World Cup being staged in the country. Local players have become national stars and a television audience second only to the IPL in terms of volume has been garnered.
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With the auctions for Season 5 being held today, the prices of some of the players increased approximately six-fold when compared to the prices they commanded in the inaugural edition. While most players went for a reasonable value, there were still quite a few names which raised eyebrows for the money they roped in!
Also read: Pro Kabaddi League Season 5: List of all players sold on Day 1 of auction
Sportskeeda looks at the 5 most overpriced players from the auctions held on day one:
#5 Ravinder Pahal
‘The Hawk’ as he is fondly called by lovers of the sport, Pahal was a complete revelation when he first arrived on the Pro Kabaddi scene. However, he was unable to maintain his consistency in defence especially the last time around.
He played for Dabang Delhi early on before switching to Puneri Paltan where he had a dismal Season 4, relegated to the bench on most instances. Yet, the Bengaluru Bulls paid half a crore for the player, probably hoping he can replicate his form from the past.
#4 Surjeet
The central defender was surely the go-to man when it came to building the foundation of a team, given his previous records and outing at the Kabaddi World Cup. But with the likes of Mohit Chhillar only fetching INR 46.50 lakh from Team Haryana, INR 73 lakh seemed like quite an expensive price tag for Surjeet.
Moreover, Surjeet always needs support in defence to assist his body blocks and tackles, and if the Bengal Warriors outfit are found wanting in that respect, it might prove to be a major concern for the management.
#3 Selvamani
The 25-year-old former Delhi raider might have had his best season in the fourth edition of the league, but he is surely not the kind of player who can single-handedly win a game for his team. Bidding for this young man started at Rs. 50 lakh despite his base price of Rs. 20 lakh and sooner enough, Jaipur Pink Panthers picked him up for Rs. 73 lakh.
Was it required? Especially for a team that had splurged a fair amount of money on procuring the likes of Manjeet Chhillar and Jasvir Singh. What difference Selvamani can bring to the table, only time will tell.
#2 Manjeet Chillar
Abhishek Bachchan-backed Jaipur Pink Panthers shelled out a whopping Rs. 75.50 lakh for this all-rounder. A veteran in the Pro Kabaddi League, Manjeet Chillar surely went for more than he could have imagined, as was evident from his smiles in the studio at the venue.
He might be one of the best players in his category but Manjeet had quite a below-par outing at the Kabaddi World Cup which was held last year in October. Moreover, when it came to the retention of players, his former franchise chose to go with young gun Deepak Hooda in place of him, thus indicating that he was no longer the first choice when it came to building a team.
#1 Nitin Tomar
He might be talented and have age on his side, but he’s just been around for two seasons in Pro Kabaddi. More importantly, will he be able to justify the Rs. 93 lakhs that Team Uttar Pradesh have spent on him?
Tomar is a player who can only flourish under the guidance of an experienced campaigner, and on many occasions, he has been overshadowed by fellow raiders Ajay Thakur and Pardeep Narwal, especially at the World Cup last year.
Additionally, he had a few injury concerns last season and if the same should surface this time around, the team will find itself in deep trouble. Will the young gun be able to shoulder the responsibility of being the most valuable player on his team? It remains to be seen how he goes about the task.
