“More than Pawan and Shadloui??” - Fans left in splits as Tamil Thalaivas sign Sachin Tanwar for Rs. 2.15 crore at Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction
The Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) season 11 auction already threw in some massive surprises on day one. One of the highlights was the signing of Sachin Tanwar by the Tamil Thalaivas for a massive sum of Rs. 2.15 crore.
With Thalaivas breaking the bank, the 25-year-old raider became the most expensive buy on the first day of the PKL season 11 auctions.
Fans took to social media to react to Sachin Tanwar’s whopping bid, exceeding the amount of money spent on established stars in the PKL such as Pawan Sehrawat and Mohammadreza Shadloui.
“More than Pawan and Shadloui??👏😱,” one surprised fan posted on X.
The criticisms about Sachin's bid rolled on, with another fan writing:
“2+ crores for Sachin Tanwar, lol. He's very overrated in my opinion but maybe the lack of quality raiders available inflated his price but amazed by how. Good luck to Tamil Thalaivas tho.”
However, other fans were more optimistic in their assessments, with one fan hyping up the potential partnership with fellow raider Narender Hoshiyar:
“Last year's best performer along with narender it's good let's hope some other good buys.”
“Fantastic pick, tamil thalaivas had issues in not having right raiders in previous seasons, but they got an perfect match for that, it is a [huge] pick 👏🏻👏🏻,” another post read.
Many fans commented on the hardworking nature of Sachin Tanwar, with one fan writing:
“Best example that hardwork pays off ! 🥹❤️”
“Very hard working player and he deserves it 💯,” another fan wrote.
Sachin Tanwar has an uphill task ahead with Tamil Thalaivas in PKL season 11
Despite having a large fan base, the Tamil Thalaivas have yet to win the Pro Kabaddi League trophy in the last ten seasons. In PKL season 10, the Chennai-based franchise finished ninth, which was disappointing. One of the key reasons for their dismal performance has been their ineffective offensive output, with the Thalaivas successfully completing only 36% of their attacks last season.
Tanwar, on the other hand, had a stellar campaign for the Patna Pirates last season, consistently leading the line of attack for his team in important matches. He finished the season with a 47% raid strike rate and a 76% tackle strike rate.
Despite the massive pressure that a price tag exceeding two crores might bring on a relatively young athlete, Sachin Tanwar will look to continue his fine form at the PKL at his new home and justify the faith that the Tamil Thalaivas have shown in him at the auction day.