PKL Overseas Player Auctions 2021 Highlights: Patna Pirates signs Chiyaneh for ₹31L and retains Jang Kun Lee, Bengal Warriors snaps up Abozar

Hello and welcome to Sportstar's highlights of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) overseas players auctions being held in Mumbai. This was Shyam Vasudevan taking you through the auction as it unfurls.

We're live now or the domestic player auctions. Catch all the updates LIVE here - PKL Auctions Highlights: UP Yoddha signs Pardeep Narwal for a staggering ₹1.65 crore, Telugu Titans retains Siddharth Desai for ₹1.30 crore

--

Iranian all-rounder Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh becomes the most expensive foreign signing of the season as three-time champion Patna Pirates roped him on for ₹31L. Patna Pirates also used one of its two available FBM cards to retain Republic of Korea's raider Jang Kun Lee for ₹20.5L.

RELATED| PKL 2021 auctions: Full list of foreign players sold at Pro Kabaddi auction  

Defending champion Bengal Warriors snapped up veteran Iranian defender Abozar Mohajer Mighani for ₹30.5 lakh, as the side bids to become the first team since Patna Pirates to retain its crown.

Biggest overseas signings so far Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh - Patna Pirates - ₹31L Abozar Mohajer Mighani - Bengal Waririors - ₹30.5 lakh Jang Kun Lee - Patna Pirates - ₹20.5L (FBM) Hadi Oshtorak - Gujarat Giants - ₹20L  Mohammad Esmaeil Maghsoudlou Mahalli - Haryana Steelers - ₹13.20L

5pm: LATE UPDATE! It turns out that five more players have been sold...

Hadi Oshtorak to Gujarat Giants for ₹20L
Anwar Saheed Baba to Tamil Thalaivas for ₹10L
Hyunsu Park to Telugu Titans for ₹10L
Mohammad Tuhin Tarafder to Tamil Thalaivas for ₹10L
Md. Masud Karim to UP Yoddha for ₹10L

4:35pm: And that brings us to the end of the auctions for the overseas players. A total of 22 players will join the Pro Kabaddi League this year, while the remaining 20 overseas players found no takers.

4:33pm: Dabang Delhi enters signing process as it acquires Emad Sedaghat Nia's services for ₹10.20L.

4:31pm: Iranian raiders seem to be the most sought-after players in these auctions! It's two in two for the Jaipur Pink Panthers as it ropes in Amir Hossein Mohammadmaleki for his base price of ₹10L.

4:29pm: Sri Lanka's Asiri Sandaruwan Malagammana Alawathge and Bangladesh's Md. Masud Karim find to takers.

4:27pm: Iran's Mohammad Amin Nosrati will play in the PKL this season! The raider joins Jaipur Pink Panthers for ₹11L.

4:26pm: Nepal's Nageshor Tharu and Sri Lanka's Aslam Saja Mohamed Thambi go unsold.

4:24pm: UP Yoddha throws its hat in the ring as it signs Mohammad Taghi Paein Mahali for ₹12L.

4:33pm: Another Iranian raider, Mohammad Taghi Paein Mahali, who last played for Bengal Warriors is up next.

4:22pm: The Haryana Steelers have bolstered their raiding department by getting Mohammad Esmaeil Maghsoudlou Mahalli for ₹13.20L.

4:21pm: Iranian raider Mohammad Esmaeil Maghsoudlou Mahalli also seems to be generating some interest here..

4:18pm: Three signings in a row for the Bengaluru Bulls as the side ropes in Iranian raider Abolfazl Maghsodlou Mahali for ₹13L.

 

4:16pm: Abolfazl Maghsodlou Mahali, who has played 47 PKL games and was last with Gujarat Giants, should attract a few bids here...

4:16pm: Kenyan raider James Namaba Kamweti and Bangladesh's Md. Hasan Ali go unsold.

4:15pm: Nepal's Lal Mohar Yadav and Sri Lanka's Lahiru Kosala Bandara Kuruppu have no takers.

4:14pm: It's the Bengaluru Bulls who are at it again as they get Dong Geon Lee on board for ₹12.50L.

4:12pm: Republic of Korea's Dong Geon Lee, who last played for U Mumba, is in the fray. He has 80 raid points to his name. U Mumba had paid ₹25L to sign him last season.

4:11pm: Kenyan raider Simon Peter Karanja is the next player and he will be looking to make his PKL debut. He goes unsold.

4:09pm: Bengaluru Bulls makes its first foreign signing of the season as it ropes in Ziaur Rahman for ₹12.20L.

4:07pm: Bangladeshi left-cover defender Ziaur Rahman has attracted a lot of interest. He had last played for Bengal Warriors in season 6 and has 34 games under his belt.

4:05pm: Iranian defender Soleiman Pahlevan joins Gujarat Giants for ₹11.50L. Abozar had infact made his PKL debut with Gujarat Giants.

4:03pm: We will have a Japanese defender in season eight of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL)! Telugu Titans acquire the services of Tetsuro Abe for ₹10L.

 

4:02pm: Tetsuro Abe, from Japan, is the next man in the fray.

4:01pm: Mohammad Tuhin Tarafder and Monirul Chowdhury, both right cover defenders from Bangladesh, go unsold.

3:59pm: Malaysian defender Khateravan Mariappan has no takers. His compatriot Mugilan Batumalai also goes unsold.

3:58pm: Md. Sabuj Mia, a right corner defender from Bangladesh, goes unsold.

3:57pm: Kenya's John Karuga Muremwa, an all-rounder, goes unsold.

3:55pm: After what seemed like an eternity, Patna Pirates has signed Iranian all-rounder Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh for ₹31L. He becomes the most expensive overseas buy of the season!

 

3:52pm: There seems to be quite the interest in Chiyaneh!

3:49pm: Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh of Iran is the next player.

3:48pm: No takers for Kenya's Daniel Omondi Odhiambo and George Embugwa.

3:46pm: Thailand's Tin Phonchoo, who was with Haryana Steelers last season, goes unsold. Up next is Daniel Omondi Odhiambo from Kenya.

3:45pm: Sri Lanka's Anwar Saheed Baba is the next player... no bids for him.

3:43pm: Iran's Hamid Mirzaei Nader is off to Haryana Steelers! They sign him for his base price of ₹10L.

3:41pm Puneri Paltan joins the party as it ropes in Victor Onyango Obiero for his base price of ₹10L.

3:40pm: Kenya's Victor Onyango Obiero is the next player up for grabs.

3:35pm: U Mumba signs Iranian all-rounder Mohsen Maghsoudlou Jafar for ₹12.8L. He will team up with his compatriot Fazel Atrachali at U Mumba.

3:33pm: RETAINED! Three-time champion Patna Pirates uses its FBM option to retain Jang Kun Lee for ₹20.5L.

 

3:32pm: Abozar will team up with his countryman Nabibakhsh as the Bengal Warriors look to become the first team since Patna Pirates to defend its title.

3:30pm: Defending champion Bengal Warriors snaps up Abozar Mohajer Mighani for ₹30.5 lakh! Abozar is one of the most versatile defenders in the league.

 

3:26pm: Hadi Oshtorak and Farhad Rahimi Milaghardan, both the Iranian all-rounders, go unsold. A bidding war for Abozar Mohajer Mighani ensues.

3:25pm: We're finally underway!

 

3:20pm: Dong Geon Lee, who was part of the South Korean team that won the silver medal at the 2018 Asian Games, says he got into the sport after his team-mate and PKL sensation, Jang-kun Lee introduced him to the sport. “At first, Jang-kun Lee introduced me to the sport and its got a lot more people interested in the game. PKL has made me more professional. There aren't any leagues in Korea like PKL but the sport has become more popular now after the Asian Games,” he had told this publication in an earlier interview.

3:15pm: The latest update is that the auction process is yet to begin. However, this might be a good time to discuss the platform that the PKL offer to foreign players.

In a chat dating to 2018 September, Kenya's David Shilisia J Mosambayi, who was playing for the Jaipur Pink Panthers then, said his participation in the PKL had encouraged more people back at home to try the sport.

"Kabaddi in Kenya is of average standard because we don't have any leagues and professional coaches in Kenya. We usually play tournaments not leagues. (My participation) has generated more interest and even encouraged people  from other sports like rugby and soccer to try their luck in kabaddi," he had said.

He added, "PKL is a good avenue for someone to showcase their skills. I am a classic example of this. I wish it all the best so that it reaches to more people like me worldwide and help the sport. It has helped me grow by meeting professional players and learning from them. The coaches are some of the best in the world and this definitely helps me as a sportsperson. This time too, I will be joining Jaipur Pink Panthers headed by Srinivas Reddy who has great experience working with foreign players. All of this ultimately helps the sport grow in my country when I take back all this knowledge and guide youngsters eager to join Kabaddi."

3:05pm: While we wait for information from venue, word is that the Puneri Paltan camp is eager to sign former national team captain Ajay Thakur. With 811 points from 115 matches, it's no exaggeration to call Iceman Ajay Thakur a PKL legend. The former Tamil Thalaivas captain will be looking for a new team this season and could potentially form a great partnership with his former team-mate Anup Kumar, the current Puneri Paltan coach.

We had caught up with Ajay himself ahead of last season, and here he talks about his Padma Shri award, his kabaddi journey and what is goals are -

 

3pm: Off we go! The auctions should start any minute now. Stay tuned!

2:55pm: A quick brush up: Each Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) team needs to have a minimum of 18 players and a maximum of 25. Each of the teams must field a minimum of two and a maximum of four foreign players in their roster.

2:50pm: Time for a throwback! Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh became the Pro Kabaddi League's (PKL) second-most expensive overseas player last season when the Bengal Warriors snapped him up for ₹77.75 Lakh. The Iranian was an indispensable part of the side's title-triumph.

Here's the list of the of the five top buys from last season:

Player	Team	Amount
1. Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh	Bengal Warriors	₹77.75 Lakh
2. Abozar Mighani	Telugu Titans (FBM)	₹75 Lakh
3. Jang Kun Lee	Patna Pirates	₹40 Lakh
4. Mohammad Maghsoudlou	Patna Pirates	₹35 Lakh
5. Dong Geon Lee	U Mumba	₹25 Lakh

2:45pm: From Pardeep Narwal to Deepak Niwas Hooda, here are the top three Indian stars who might set the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) auction on fire this season -

 

2:40pm: Only three overseas players were retained ahead of season eight of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) - Fazel Atrachalli (U Mumba), Mohammed Esmaeil Nabibakhsh (Bengal Warriors) and Hadi Tajik (Puneri Paltan). Here's a composite list of all the 59 players who were retained - PKL Auctions 2021: Full list of retained players for Pro Kabaddi auction

 

2:35pm: While Fazel remains the PKL's most expensive overseas player, do you think some of the other established names such as Jang Kun Lee or Abozar Mighani could also get close to that ₹1 crore mark? The owners and players certainly feel teams will go "all-out" with their spending this auction - PKL auction 2021: Owners and players expect teams to go "all-out"

2:30pm: The New Young Players auction yesterday was a rather tame affair as only four players were signed from a pool of over 90 players. Here's a recap of how yesterday's auction played out - PKL Auctions 2021 Highlights: Only four New Young Players signed, Puneri Paltan ropes in two

2:20pm: Fazel, one of the most entertaining kabaddi players in the PKL, had a sit-down with us last season and spoke about his love for Bollywood, Indian food and his chance meeting with Amitabh Bachchan.

 

2:10pm: We begin the second day of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) season eight player auctions with the overseas players up for grabs. The Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) has seen regular participation from overseas stars over the last seven seasons and the Iranian players have taken the league by storm. Fazel Atrachali, a fan favourite, became the league's most expensive foreign player when he was signed for a staggering ₹1 crore by U Mumba ahead of season six. He is one of the league's best defenders and is the first overseas player to score 300 tackle points in the league. He has been retained by U Mumba.

Much like Fazel, Republic of Korea's Jang Kun Lee has also emerged as one of the most loved players in India. One of the most successful overseas raiders in the PKL, Lee spent six seasons at Bengal Warriors before playing for Patna Pirates last season. He holds the record for the most points by an overseas player - 496 points from 106 games.

Here is the complete list of overseas players who will feature in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) auctions - PKL Auctions 2021: Full list of 42 overseas players at PKL auctions

 

The three-day Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) season eight player auctions will see the 12 teams will battle it out to sign the 500-plus players who will go under the hammer. The eighth season was to be held last year but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic and will begin in December this year. It will be the first indoor sporting league to begin in the country since the pandemic.

RELATED | PKL auction 2021: Owners and players expect teams to go "all-out"

Here's all you need to know about the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) player auctions:

When will the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) player auctions be held?

The Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) player auctions will be held in Mumbai from August 29-31. The New Young Players (NYP) draft will take place on August 29, while the overseas and Category A players and Category A (domestic players) will go under the hammer on August 30. The auction for categories B, C, D and unallocated players will be held the following day.

RELATED| Pardeep Narwal thrilled and looking forward to PKL auction 

What are the different player categories, and what are the base prices?

The Pro Kabaddi League player auction will have three categories of players - domestic, New Young Players (NYP) and overseas.

Under this, the domestic players are further divided into categories - A, B, C and D. The players in category A have a base price of ₹30 lakh, while category B players have a base price of ₹20 lakh. Category C and D have a base price of ₹10 lakh and ₹6 lakh respectively.

How many overseas players can a team field in the Pro Kabaddi League?

Each team has to field a minimum of two and a maximum of four foreign players in their roster.

How much money can each team spend in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) auction?

The 12 teams will each have a total player purse of ₹4.4 crores. However, a team's funds will reduce based on the number of players it retains ahead of the auction. A player’s total salary for the PKL season is determined by the price at which he is signed by a team.

What is the Final Bid Match and how can a team use it?

The Final Bid Match (FBM) rule allows teams to retain a player by matching the final bid made for him.

Each team can use the FBM twice in the auction. However, it also depends on the number of players retained by the team. If a team retains all of its maximum allotted six players, then it cannot use an FBM card. If it retains five players, then it can avail the FMB once. If the team retains less than five players, then it can use the FMB twice.

RELATED| PKL 8: Pardeep Narwal, Deepak Hooda, Siddharth Desai not retained, to be a part of Pro Kabaddi League auction

What is the maximum number of players each Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) team can have?

Each Pro Kabaddi League team needs to have a minimum of 18 players and a maximum of 25.

Where can you watch the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) auction in India?

The Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) player auction will be telecast live on the Star Sports network and streamed on the Disney+ Hotstar app on August 31 from 6.30 pm onwards.