PKL Auction 2021: 5 raiders who could be budget picks
Pro Kabaddi Season 8 officially kicks off at the first juncture, with the PKL 2021 Auction set to be held later this month. All 12 PKL franchises have announced their list of retained players over the last week ahead of the auction.
The teams have managed to hold on to a total of 59 players who will be part of their respective squads for another season. Ahead of the PKL 2021 Auction, 22 players are from the Elite Retained Players category and 6 are from the Retained Young Players. The remaining 31 players are from the New Young Players category who will play their second season with their franchises.
With a large number of players released by all franchises, a plethora of talented players will be up for grabs at the PKL 2021 Auction. The players that will go under the hammer are divided into three categories - A, B and C with base prices of 30 Lakhs, 20 Lakhs and 10 Lakhs respectively.
Most PKL franchises have one or two top raiders in their ranks who form the core of their attacking unit. However, they always load their roster with a couple of handy raiders who act as the third or supporting raider. These players are under-rated players who are usually available at a budget cost but make a good impact on the mat for the team.
We take a look at five such 'budget picks' who will be part of the bidding war at the PKL 2021 Auction.
#5 K Prapanjan
A crucial part of the PKL Season 7 winning side Bengal Warriors, K Prapanjan kicks off our list for some of the best 'under the radar' raider picks available in the PKL 2021 Auction. Alongside the Warriors' stalwart Maninder Singh and Iranian import Esmael Nabibaksh, Prapanjan formed a competent raiding trio.
The lanky raider from Tamil Nadu began his PKL journey with U Mumba but was sparingly used by the former PKL champions. He had another quiet season with the Telugu Titans before finally finding his footing for his home state franchise Tamil Thalaivas. With Ajay Thakur, he formed a solid partnership using his length and agility well enough to score quick touch points.
Over the course of his PKL career so far, he has featured in 83 matches and scored 366 raid points with 10 Super Raids and averages a healthy 4.4 raid points per match. Prapanjan will be a raider that will surely be sought after by franchises that wish to add a stealthy raider to their core.
#4 Chandran Ranjit
Chandran Ranjit was one of the big surprise packages last season for the Dabang Delhi KC side that raced all the way to the PKL Season 7 final. Along with the feisty Naveen Kumar, Ranjit formed a strong partnership in the raiding department for the Delhi franchise.
Ranjit started out way back in the inaugural season of the PKL with the Telugu Titans franchise as a young raider. He did not get much mat time but continued to grind his way. After a short stint with the Gujarat Fortunegiants, he was signed by the Dabang Delhi franchise for PKL Season 6. Over the past two years, he has emerged as one of the best supporting raiders for the Delhi franchise, contributing with handy points. His Super Raid against the Jaipur Pink Panthers last season was the turning point in their key win on home turf.