5 most expensive players in Star Sports Pro Kabaddi history
The tournament that has changed the sheer fabric of the age-old sport of kabaddi in India is back. Enthralling audiences since its inception in 2014, Star Sports Pro Kabaddi is set to renew the excitement in the fans from 25 June.
In order to make the tournament more competitive and exciting, the organizers decided to mix up the teams as all players bar two from each team went into the auction pool. Nearly 200 players went into the auction, which was held around two months before the tournament. In the end, the 8 teams bought 96 players while spending over Rs 15.6 crores.
Iranian Hadi Oshtorak, at Rs 21.1 lakhs, was the most expensive player ahead of the auction. However, that record was broken multiple times at the auction as each of the top 10 most expensive players fetched record prices.
Let's take a look at the 5 most expensive players in Star Sports Pro Kabaddi history:
5) Jasmer Singh Gulia (Telugu Titans) – Rs 35.5 lakhs
For a colossal Rs 35.5 lakhs, the Telugu Titans secured the services of former Puneri Paltan star Jasmer Singh Gulia. The experienced all-rounder spent one season with the Paltan while he donned the Dabang Delhi jersey for the first two editions of the tournament.
The 33-year-old is a war-hardened veteran, having been an integral part of each of the teams he has played for. With the departure of the experienced Dharmaraj Cheralathan, the Titans needed somebody to help youngsters in their journey and they brought in the much sought-after Jasmer. The young Sandeep Narwal and Sandeep Dhull will look to learn as much as they can from Jasmer, who has played in 33 matches so far, scoring a total of 93 points, with 86 of them coming in defence.
The Titans have invested heavily in their defensive department and the former Delhi and Pune player will be expected to lend his experience to the team.