How PKL Auction is Conducted, Check All Details

The Vivo Pro Kabaddi 2023 is just around the corner, and the teams are already gearing up for the upcoming Pro Kabaddi 2023 auction. The dates for the upcoming auction are yet to be confirmed, but it is likely to take place after the Asia Cup. 

The Indian team for the Asia Cup was announced recently, and the 12-member team entered the camp at Patna to practice hard before the much-awaited tournament. 

As the Pro Kabaddi auction will provide an opportunity for franchises to rebuild their squad, it makes sense if they decide to wait for a month or two for the auction. Notably, the player auction in 2021 and 2022 took place in August. 

Who will enter the auction this year?

While we don't know the exact number, the last two editions saw more than 450 players registering for a spot in India's second most popular franchise league after Indian Premier League. 

In the 2021 auction, there were more than 450 players on the auction list. In the previous edition, the numbers went up, and there were more than 500 players on the list.

In 2023, the auction list is expected to be huge too. Overseas players will also be in the auction pool. Each team must have at least two Overseas players and a maximum of four.

Maximum number of players in a team?

Each team are allowed to have a minimum of 18 players and a maximum of 25 players. If each team picks up to 25 players. there will be more than 300 players, featuring in the tournament. At the moment, the franchises are yet to announce the retention list of players. We will have a better idea regarding the team once we get the retention list. 

Usually, all the teams get to retain as many as six players. The total purse prize is likely to be increased for this season as well. The PKL 9 witnessed an increase of 0.6 crores in the purse prize. The total purse prize for the PKL 9 was 5 crores. 

What are RYPs?

RYPs are Retained Young Players. 

The Retained Young Players are the Youngsters who have been retained by the franchises. The uncapped players coming through the Future Kabaddi Heroes scouting are also called Young Players. Each team can have a maximum of seven youngsters.

These young players usually have a base price lesser than marquee players and are the real game-changers in terms of purse prizes as well. 

Bidding Process and Final Bid Match

The PKL auction usually takes place for a couple of days. Initially, the players are separated into four categories- A, B, C, and D. The players in the first two categories will go under the hammer on the first day of the auction. The last two category players will be auctioned on the Day 2 of the Vivo Pro Kabaddi Auction. 

When a particular player is being auctioned, the teams will come out with prize money for the talent. The team with the highest bid will secure the services of the talent.

In some places, the teams will be eager to buy the players who had featured for them in the previous season. Since the teams can retain only six players before the auction, the teams have to let go have a few players. However, they can use this Final Bid Match card to bring back the player. 

Notably, if the team have retained six players already, they cannot use the FBM card. If they have five players retained, they can use the FBM card once. If they have only four or lesser players, they can use the FBM card twice.

In the last edition's auction, Pawan Kumar Sehrawat attracted a huge bid. Tamil Thalaivas grabbed him for whopping 2.26 Crores.