Siddharth Desai, Nitin Tomar win big at Pro Kabaddi League auctions

Siddharth Desai completing a raid.

The VIVO Pro Kabaddi Player Auctions 2019 highlights:

• Moving out of UMumba and into the Telugu Titans squad, Siddharth Desai becomes the first crorepati for the day with INR 1.45 Crore
• Puneri Paltans used the ‘Final Bid Match' card to retain Season VII second highest crorepati, Nitin Tomar bought for 1.20 Crore
• Overseas player Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh bought for INR 77.75 Lakhs by Bengal Warriors
• Haryana Steelers top Raider Monu Gayat moves from Haryana Steelers to UP Yoddha for 93 Lakhs
• Rahul Chaudhari moves on from Telugu Titans, and was bought by Tamil Talaivas for INR 94 Lakhs

The day 1 of VIVO Pro Kabaddi season VII player auctions were concluded successfully in Mumbai with the first lot of crorepatis this season. The player auctions witnessed Siddharth Desai sold for INR 1.45 Crore and Nitin Tomar sold for INR 1.20 Crore emerge as crorepatis. Utilising the ‘Final Bid Match' card to the optimum level, teams have showcased their enthusiasm to build on squad continuity. With Puneri Paltan retaining the second highest sold raider Nithin Tomar to Parvesh Bhainswal retained by Gujarat Fortunegiants; the player auction for Season VII is cognizant of the significance of squad continuity and long-term association of players with their respective teams.

With the league showcasing talent from across cities and VIVO Pro Kabaddi has gone up a notch, with the sport popularizing talented players who have excelled year after year. With Domestic Category A stars, and Overseas players leading the bid-chart for the day, the auctions saw Crorepati's emerge, with franchises going all out in the bidding game to build a strong squad for the upcoming league.

Marquee players Siddharth Desai, Nitin Tomar, Rahul Chaudhari, Monu Goyat Rishank Devadiga and Sandeep Narwal were the top buys in the auction, picked up by Teams Telugu Titans, Puneri Paltans, Tamil Talaivas, UP Yodha and U Mumba respectively. Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh is the highest valued international player, at INR 77.75Lakhs bought by Bengal Warriors.

Top 5 Indian Players:
Rank Player Name Price In INR Team
1 Siddharth Desai: Rs 1.45 crore Telugu Titans
2 Nitin Tomar: Rs 1.20 crore Puneri Paltans FBM
3 Rahul Chaudhari: Rs 94 lakhs Tamil Talaivas
4 Monu Goyat: Rs 93 lakhs U.P.Yodhas
5 Sandeep Narwal: Rs 89 lakhs UMumba

Top 5 International Players:
Rank Player Name Price in INR Team Nationality
1 Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh 77.75 lakhs Bengal Warriors Iran
2 Abozar Mohajermighani 75 lakhs Telugu Titans
Iran
3 Jang Kun Lee 40 lakhs Patna Pirates Republic of Korea
4 Mohammad Esmaiel Maghsodhu 35 lakhs Patna Pirates Iran
5 Dong Geon Lee 25 lakhs UMumba Republic of Korea

Team Players Retained via FBM
Bengaluru Bulls: Mahender Singh
Dabang Delhi: K.C Chandran Ranjit and Ravinder Pahal
Patna Pirates: Jaideep
Puneri Paltan: Nitin Tomar and Girish Ernak
Telugu Titans: Vishal Bhardwaj and Abozar
U Mumba: Rohit Baliyan
Gujarat Fortunegiants: Parvesh Bhainswal
U.P Yoddha: Rishank Devadiga and Shrikant Jadhav

Reacting to the auctions, raider from Telegu Titans said; Siddharth Desai: "I started dancing when I saw the result of my bid. I come from a humble background; my father is a farmer and I know how difficult it is to become a Kabaddi player. I would like to thank Telugu Titans for believing in me and handing me the opportunity to showcase my talent. Now that I have been sold for such a high price I will make sure I give my 100% and make the team proud."

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