Pro Kabaddi 2024: 3 most expensive buys for Puneri Paltan ft. Ajith V Kumar
The defending champions Puneri Paltan have strengthened their attack and defense after retaining their core players ahead of the PKL 2024 Auction. Paltan defeated Haryana Steelers by 28-25 in the PKL 2023 final to grab their maiden title.
Interestingly, Paltan wasn't completely dependent on a single player, they had an impressive all-round unit with Aslam Mustafa Inamdar being their best raider with 119 successful raids. Meanwhile, Gaurav Khatri and Abinesh Nadarajan were exceptional with their defense. However, they will miss Mohammadreza Chiyaneh in their defense.
With all three players already retained by the champions, they have added some promising raiders and defenders to improve their chances of defending the title. That said, let’s take a look at the three most expensive buys from Puneri Paltan at the Pro Kabaddi League 2024 Auction.
#3. Mohd Amaan - INR 16.20 Lakh
Defender Mohd. Amaan rose to prominence at the inaugural Uttar Pradesh Kabaddi League in July, accumulating 54 tackle points to win the Best Defender of the Season award. He represented Lucknow Lions in the campaign.
With a total of four High 5s in the competition, he propelled the Lucknow Lions franchise to title victory in the first season, defeating Sangam Challengers by 59-33 in the grand finale. He was roped in by Puneri Paltan for INR 16.20 Lakh.
#2. Mohit - INR 20 Lakh
Representing Haryana Steelers in PKL 2203, Mohit Kaler bagged 46 successful tackles in 22 matches. Interestingly, Paltan and Haryana Steelers exchanged their left corner defenders at the PKL 2024 Auction.
Mohammadreza Chiyaneh, who played a pivotal role for Paltan in PKL 2023, moved to the Steelers franchise while the former Steelers defender Mohit moved to Paltan at a price of INR 20 Lakh.
#1. Ajith V Kumar - INR 66 Lakh
Ajith Kumar, who started his PKL journey with Tamil Thalaivas in 2019, emerged as the second-best raider for the Jaipur Pink Panthers besides Arjun Deshwal in PKL 2023, accumulating 82 points from 19 games.
In 79 PKL games, Ajith accumulated 465 points with 5.82 raid points per match at a successful raid percentage of 41. Ajith is expected to take up the lead attacking role along with Aslam Mustafa, who was Pune’s best raider in the last season.