PKL Auction 2021: 5 costliest players bought by the teams
PKL Auction 2021 concluded after three days of intense strategizing and bidding wars from all 12 franchises. All teams entered the auction to fill the gaps and build dependable squads for the upcoming eighth edition of the PKL, slated to take place in December.
An expenditure of ₹48.21 crores by the end of the three-day auction led to over 190 signings for PKL Season 8. The auction threw up some exciting moments with intense bidding wars and strategies among the teams.
The stage for the PKL Auction 2021 was set to have a blockbuster bidding war as it featured the 'Record-breaker' Pardeep Narwal for the first time in history.
The teams have banked upon a plethora of young unknown commodities, while seasoned players were in less demand at PKL Auction 2021. A total of nine players returned to their previous teams through the Final Bid Match (FBM) cards.
In this listicle, let's take a look at the five costliest players that were bought by the teams in PKL Auction 2021.
Top-5 costliest players bought by the teams in PKL Auction 2021:
#5 Sachin Tanwar - ₹84 lakhs, Patna Pirates
Gujarat Giants' lanky raider Sachin Tanwar will now don the green jersey of the Patna Pirates after the team shelled out ₹84 lakhs to gain his services.
With 433 raid points and 16 Super-10s to his name, Sachin Tanwar has proven himself to be a top-notch performer in the PKL in the past three seasons.
The Patna Pirates parted their ways with 'Record-breaker' Pardeep Narwal, who contributed three titles to the side with more than 1,000 raid points. Patna was looking to purchase a quality lead raider who could attack up front, and hence they signed Sachin Tanwar to the offensive unit.
Sachin Tanwar will be joined by the likes of Prashanth Kumar Rai and Jang Kun Lee in the eighth season of the PKL. The newly-revamped offensive unit of the Patna Pirates will look to make a bold statement in the days to come.
#4 Manjeet Dahiya - ₹92 lakhs, Tamil Thalaivas
Manjeet Dahiya made his PKL debut with the Patna Pirates back in the sixth edition, but joined the Puneri Paltans next season. He has been impressive with his ability to score touch points with his 6-foot long reach to the midline and inflict decent tackles on the raiders as well.
Dahiya has scored 201 raid points with five Super-10s to his name thus far. He also has 43 tackle points up his sleeve, proving his ability to contribute in both departments of the game.
Tamil Thalaivas underwent a complete revamp by releasing all of their star players including Ajay Thakur, Manjeet Chhillar and Rahul Chaudhari. The team was looking to add youngsters who could step up and perform on the big stage. Hence, the Thalaivas splurged ₹92 lakhs on Manjeet Dahiya at the PKL Auction 2021.
Manjeet Dahiya will be representing the Chennai-based franchise as the team looks to start afresh in the upcoming PKL 8.