Pro Kabaddi 2024: What is the total purse available to each team before retentions, NYPs for PKL 11?
As the excitement builds for the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 11, teams are gearing up for the Player Auction, scheduled for August 15-16, 2024, in Mumbai. The auction promises to be a thrilling affair, with star players like Pawan Sehrawat, Pardeep Narwal, Maninder Singh, Fazel Atrachali, and Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh among others set to go under the hammer.
As teams prepare to bid for these marquee players, a question arises: what is the total purse available to each franchise before accounting for retentions and New Young Players (NYP) nominations?
For PKL Season 11, each team will start with a total salary purse of ₹5 crore. This amount remains unchanged from the previous season. The salary purse represents the maximum budget a team can allocate to its squad.
However, INR 5 crore is not the final amount with which the teams will head into the player auction for this season.
The amount of available purse for the auction is influenced by the process of player retention and NYP nominations. Teams are allowed to retain a set number of players across different categories - Elite Retained Players (ERP), Retained Young Players (RYP), and Existing New Young Players (ENYP).
Ahead of PKL Season 11, 88 players have been retained - 22 from the ERP category, 26 from the RYP category, and 40 from the ENYP category. This retention strategy significantly impacts the remaining budget that teams will have for the auction.
Player category and base price for PKL 11 Auction
Before the auction begins, teams have to announce their retained players and any NYPs they wish to include. After this, it will be determined as to how much of the ₹5 crore purse will be available for bidding on new players.
The auction will feature a player pool of over 500 participants, including 24 players from the Khelo India University Games 2024 finalists. These players will be categorized into four groups—Category A, B, C, and D—based on their base prices and roles.
Category A players will have a base price of ₹30 lakh, Category B players ₹20 lakh, Category C players ₹13 lakh, and Category D players ₹9 lakh. Within these categories, players will be further divided into All-Rounders, Defenders, and Raiders, allowing teams to target specific needs and strengthen their squads accordingly.
With some massive names being released by the teams, the PKL 11 auction is certainly set to be a blockbuster event.