The new edition of Pro Kabaddi League is around the corner, and all the teams are gearing up for the edition. The last year's tournament was certainly one of the best entertaining editions. There is no doubt, this edition will be as entertaining as the last one.
The franchises are already doing their homework. They are keeping an eye on the ongoing Khelo Games and Junior Kabaddi League to pick up the players in the upcoming auction. A few other franchises like Tamil Thalaivas have even conducted open trials for the players.
When is the PKL 10 auction?
The auction date for the upcoming Pro Kabaddi league is not announced yet, but it is expected to take place only after the upcoming Asia Championships.
The Championships are certainly one of the most awaited tournaments as it is back after a few years. India is the current champion of the tournament, and they have won nine gold medals overall. The players performing at the international level are expected to be a major attraction in the auction. The ongoing Khelo Games are also equally important as many youngsters are likely to come through.
Player pool:
The number of players who will go under the hammer is not yet announced. We shall expect that the number would be more than 500. In the last edition, there were more than 500 players despite the fact that 101 players were retained by the franchises. This time, with Khelo Games and other international tournaments around, the number is likely to be increased.
Budget for each franchise:
The budget allotted for each franchise for the upcoming Pro Kabaddi League edition is yet to be confirmed. Over the years, we have seen an increase in the budget. In the last season, the budget for 12 franchises was 4.4 crore. However, the budget is likely to be increased for PKL 10. Though the numbers might not be huge according to the official announcement last year, there could be a 20 per cent increase in the numbers.
Indian players list and Overseas players list:
The list of Indian players who will be participating in the upcoming tournament is yet to be confirmed. Once the retention list is out, we can assume the number of players entering the auction. The retention list is likely to be out only a week from the auction. According to the reports, the auction will be taking place in the final quarter of the year.
At the moment, all we know is that experienced and marquee players will be placed in Category A. The base price of Category A is INR 60 Lakhs.
The Young Indians, who will be coming through the programme- New Young Players(NYPs)- will be placed in Category D. The base price of the category is INR 6 Lakhs. The overseas players are usually placed in Category C and Category D. All four categories will be subdivided into 'All rounders', 'Raiders' and 'Defenders'.
The last auction took place in August and went on for two days. Day 1 witnessed the auction of players in Category A and B. The final day saw the auction of the Category C and Category D players. It will be interesting to see who bags the biggest money this time around. Last year, Pawan Sherawat was the highest-paid star. The veteran Raider went for a whopping INR 2.2 Crore and was bought by Tamil Thalaivas.
