PKL 8: Full list of retained players released by teams for the season
After a long wait of two years, Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) will finally be back in action by the end of the year. However, the excitement in the build-up to the tournament has already started.
The 12 teams will go into the player auction for PKL 8 to be held from August 29-31 in Mumbai. This year the league will have a mega-auction, wherein many big players will be available in the market. Teams were allowed to retain six players each from the Elite and New Young players category ahead of the auction.
In what was a rather shocking retention list, some of the biggest names in PKL history failed to find their place back on the team. The biggest name that was missing from the list was Pardeep Narwal. The captain of Patna Pirates, who led the team to three trophies, will not be part of the team for the first time since Season 3.
On that note, here's the full list of players retained by the teams ahead of Season 8 auction.
List of players retained by the teams for PKL Season 8
Jaipur Pink Panthers
Amit Hooda, Vishal, Nitin Rawal, Sachin Narwal, Pavan TR, Sushil Gulia, Elavarsan A
U Mumba
Abhishek Singh, Ajinkya Kapre, Harendra Kumar, Fazel Atrachali, Navneet
Puneri Paltan
Balasaheb Shahji Jadhav, Pawan Kumar Kadian, Hadi Tajik, Sanket Sawant, Pankaj Mohit
Patna Pirates
Neeraj Kumar, Monu, Mohit, Rajveersinh Chavan, Sahil Mann
Dabang Delhi
Vijay Kumar, Neeraj Narwal, Naveen Kumar, Balram, Sumit, Mohit
Gujarat Fortunegiants
Parvesh Bhainswal, Sunil Kumar, Harmanjeet Singh, Sumit, Ankit
Bengal Warriors
Maninder Singh, Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh, Rinku Narwal, Ravindra Ramesh Kumawat
Bengaluru Bulls
Pawan Kumar Sehrawat, Amit Sheoran, Saurabh Nandal, Banty, Mohit Sherawat
Haryana Steelers
Vikas Khandola, Vinay, Vikas Chillar, Chand Singh
Tamil Thalaivas
Sagar, Himanshu, M Abhishek
Telugu Titans
Rakesh Gowda, Ankit Beniwal, Rajnish, Manish, Akash Choudhary, Akash Dattu Arsul
UP Yoddha
Nitesh Kumar, Sumit, Ashu Singh, Surinder Gill
PKL Season 8 auction details
PKL Season 8 auction will have players divided into four categories. Each category has been allotted a base price.
Category A: INR 30 lakh
Category B: INR 20 lakh
Category C: INR 10 lakh
Category D: INR 6 lakh
Players are sub-categorized as defenders, raiders and all-rounders in each of the four categories. Each team will be given a salary purse of INR 4.4 crore within which they will have to make a squad consisting of a minimum of 18 players. Officials have reported that a total of 500 players are expected to compete in the PKL this year.
Where to watch the PKL Season 8 auction?
PKL auctions will be held from August 29-31 in Mumbai. The start time for the auction is reported to be 10 AM. Sony Sports network will be televising the event for Indian viewers.
Also Read: PKL 2021: Former U Mumba coach Sanjeev Kumar Baliyan joins Jaipur Pink Panthers