On expected lines, the Pro Kabaddi league’s auction for the 2018 season broke the Rs 1 crore barrier on Wednesday.
Iranian defender Fazel Atrachali became the first player in the league’s history to enter the eight-figure-salary club, when U Mumba bought him for exactly Rs 1 crore, five times more than his base price of Rs 20 lakh.
However, that was just the beginning.
Five other players, all Indians, will also draw eight-figure salaries for the sixth season of Pro Kabaddi, with 25-year-old raider Monu Goyat becoming the most expensive player in the history of the league, at Rs 1.51 crore.
Apart from Goyat, raiders Rahul Chaudhari, Deepak Niwas Hooda, Rishank Devadiga and Nitin Tomar also drew more than Rs 1 crore.
The crorepati club
| Player | Value | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Monu Goyat | Rs 1.51 crore | Haryana Steelers |
| Rahul Chaudhari | Rs 1.29 crore | Telugu Titans |
| Deepak Niwas Hooda | Rs 1.15 crore | Jaipur Pink Panthers |
| Nitin Tomar | Rs 1.15 crore | Puneri Paltan |
| Rishank Devadiga | Rs 1.11 crore | UP Yoddhas |
| Fazel Atrachali | Rs 1 crore | U Mumba |
Tomar was the most expensive purchase last season, when new entrants UP Yoddhas bought him for Rs 93 lakh. In season 4, Rs 53 lakh was the most a franchise paid for a player – Mohit Chillar. In season 2, Iran’s Hadi Oshtorak was the most expensive player at Rs 21.1 lakh, while former India captain Rakesh Kumar was the costliest player at the first ever Pro Kabaddi auction, going for Rs 12.8 lakh.
If you plot a graph of the costliest purchases per auction, the values have been following almost an exponential growth curve.
At this rate, the Rs 2 crore barrier is almost certain to be broken next season.
Just to put it into some context, the most expensive Indian player in the Indian Super League last season was a certain Sunil Chhetri, at Rs 1.5 crore.
Good time to be a Kabaddi player, indeed.