Season 8 of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) is set to get the ball rolling with the player auction scheduled between August 29-31 in Mumbai.
The organisers of the league, Mashal Sports announced the latest developments on Thursday, August 5. After a hiatus of over two years enforced by the COVID-19 pandemic, the league is finally set to commence from December 2021.
The PKL Season 8 player auction will comprise Overseas, Domestic and New Young Players (NYPs). These players will be divided into four categories: A, B, C, D.
Players from each category will be further classified into all-rounders, raiders and defenders. The base price of players in Category A will be INR 30 lakh.
The base price for players in Category B will be INR 20 lakh, while those in Category C and D will have base prices of INR 10 lakh and INR 6 lakh respectively. Each franchise will have a salary purse of INR 4.4 crore for the eighth season.
Over 500 individuals will be a part of the player pool including those from the last two editions of the PKL as well as those in the top 8 ranked teams from the AKFI Senior Men’s Kabaddi Championship in 2020 and 2021.
All 12 participating teams have an option to retain players from their PKL 7 squads ahead of the auction.
As per league policy, teams are allowed to retain up to six players under the Elite Retained Players category. Franchises can also retain up to six players from New Young Players (NYPs) category under stipulated conditions.
The remaining players from the pool of 500 who have not been retained will go under the hammer during the three-day auction.
Season 8 of Pro Kabaddi League is expected to be held behind closed doors with all safety measures in place amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“PKL Season 8, will be conducted as per strict government rules and safety protocols with the support and cooperation of all our stakeholders and associates in the national kabaddi ecosystem under the AKFI,” said Anupam Goswami, CEO, Mashal Sports and League Commissioner, PKL.
The Pro Kabaddi League player auction will be telecast Live on the Star Sports Network. Come August 29, some of the finest kabaddi athletes across India will be seen attracting handsome bids.
“It’s been a tough year for athletes across all sports, and as a kabaddi player, I have been eagerly awaiting the resumption of the vivo Pro Kabaddi League and look forward to the Player Auctions which is an event that every kabaddi player will have their eyes set on. I am sure that Mashal Sports will conduct a successful auction and it will be interesting to see the strategies that the various teams will deploy,” Deepak Hooda, captain of Jaipur Pink Panthers was quoted saying.
Featured photo: Pro Kabaddi League
