Gujarat Giants in PKL Auction 2021: List of players bought, costliest player, and full squad
Two-time finalists Gujarat Giants have been exciting to watch ever since making their debut in the PKL 5. The Giants have established their franchise as a breeding ground for youngsters determined to make a name for themselves in the sport.
Gujarat Giants have reinstated former PKL winning captain Manpreet Singh as their head coach for PKL 8. Ahead of PKL 2021, the Gujarat Giants retained two players from the Elite Retained Players (ERP) and three from the Retained Young Players (RYP) list. They have paid a total of ₹4.06 crores to sign 16 players for PKL Season 8.
Having retained the cover duo of Parvesh Bhainswal and Sunil Kumar, Gujarat Giants had a change in strategy before stepping in at the PKL Auction 2021. Manpreet Singh & Co. were looking to add experience to the corner defense, and they've done just that.
The Giants bought 'The Hawk' Ravinder Pahal at a whopping amount of ₹74 lakhs and grabbed the second-highest-scoring defender in the history of PKL.
Pahal's experience makes him a massive purchase for the Giants, who have struggled to score raid points from their corner defenders in the last two seasons.
Gujarat Giants also purchased Hadi Oshtorak and Girish Ernak to bolster their defensive unit for PKL 8.
Gujarat Giants have spent heavily on seven different raiders for the side: Sonu Jaglan, Mahendra Ganesh Rajput, Rathan K, Maninder Singh, Harshit Yadav, Pardeep Kumar and Ajay Kumar. A plethora of raiders could mean that fans can witness new faces in the offense on PKL 8.
Let's look at the Gujarat Giants' squad and the cost of their players' signings for PKL Season 8.
Top 3 costliest players for Gujarat Giants
#1 Ravinder Pahal - ₹74 lakhs
#2 Rathan K - ₹25 lakhs
#3 Girish Ernak/Sonu Jaglan/Hadi Oshtorak - ₹20 lakhs
Gujarat Giants full squad for PKL 8:
Players retained (5):
Sumit, Ankit, Harmanjit Singh, Parvesh Bhainswal & Sunil Kumar
Players bought (11):
Soleiman Pahlevani (Defender) - ₹11.50 lakhs
Hadi Oshtorak (All Rounder) - ₹20 lakhs
Ravinder Pahal (Right corner defender) - ₹74 lakhs
Sonu Jaglan (Raider) - ₹20 lakhs (FBM)
Mahendra Ganesh Rajput (Raider) - ₹15 lakhs
Rathan K (Raider) - ₹25 lakhs
Maninder Singh (Raider) - ₹10 lakhs
Harshit Yadav (Raider) - ₹10 lakhs
Girish Maruti Ernak (Left corner defender) - ₹20 lakhs
Pardeep Kumar (Raider) - ₹10 lakhs
Ajay Kumar (Raider) - ₹10 lakhs