Pro Kabaddi auction wrap: From Siddharth Desai to Manjeet, all the top buys in various categories

The auction for the seventh edition of Pro Kabaddi came to a close in Mumbai on Tuesday with a total of 200 players being bought by the 12 franchises.

Siddharth Desai went for Rs 1.45 crore and Nitin Tomar for Rs 1.20 crore as the most expensive buys for the upcoming season. Domestic Category B also saw some big buys which included Manjeet being bought by Puneri Paltans for Rs 63 lakhs, and K Prapanjan joining the Bengal Warriors for Rs 55.5 lakhs. Among the foreign players, Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh was the highest paid player of Rs 77.75 lakhs.

At the end, a total of over Rs 50 crore was spent on 200 players, a huge jump from the season 6 auctions, a press release by the league said.

Rising star Siddharth Desai was bought by Telugu Titans for the highest bid of Rs 1.45 crore on day one. The attacker from Sangli in Maharashtra had earned plaudits by his stellar show in season six of the league. However, the winning bid for Desai was still Rs 6 lakh below the record League price paid for Monu Goyat by Haryana Steelers at season six auction last year.

Desai said, “I jumped with joy when I saw the result of my bid. I come from a humble background; my father is a farmer and I know how difficult it is to become a Kabaddi player. I would like to thank Telugu Titans for believing in me and handing me the opportunity to showcase my talent. Now that I have been sold for such a high price I will make sure I give my 100% and make the team proud.”

Raider Manjeet bagged the highest bid as a Category B player, bought by Puneri Paltans, netting a price of Rs 63 lakhs.

Here’s a round-up of all the top five buys in various categories:

(FBM: Final Bid Match)