2021 PKL Auction | Rules of the auction, when and where to watch
After a long wait, the 8th season of the Pro Kabaddi League is finally round the corner. Even though we have to wait a bit longer for some live action, the mega auction, which starts later this week, has already created the buzz and hype around the upcoming event.
As many as 161 players were released from their respective franchises in the build-up to the new season, some exclusions have been controversial and shocking, while others were on the cards. However, each one of them, including several others will be handed a great opportunity to secure their future and bag lucrative deals when their names go under the hammer at the 2021 PKL mega auction from August 29-31.
Rules of the auction
Player Pool
A total of more than 450 players will be up for auction, which also includes the domestic players who have been released early on and also foreigners. It also comprises the players coming through the New Young Players (NYP) programme and the top eight ranked teams of the senior national kabaddi championships of the last two seasons.
Squad size
Each PKL side should have a minimum of 18 players in their squad, with a maximum limit of 25. It implies that a total of 300 players across 12 teams will be able to participate in the league. Each team must have a minimum of two and a maximum of six overseas players.
Player Categories
The player auction will be divided into three broad categories - domestic, foreigner, New Young Players (NYP). Domestic players are further divided into four categories - A, B, C, D based on their base price. Players in category A will have a base price of INR 30 lakh, with B category players starting from INR 20 lakh. Meanwhile, C category players have been assigned INR 10 lakh, while INR 6 lakh will be the opening bid for D category players. Each player will come under their respective positions - raider, defender, all-rounder.
Elite Retained Players
Each team can retain a total of six players who are not categorised under the NYP category ahead of the auctions. This gives an opportunity for the teams to hold on to their top players and avoid losing them to other franchises with higher bids. However, even if a released player is out of action, while a team has already made a final bid for him, his previous employers will still get an opportunity to keep him back.
The Final Bid Match rule allows each of the franchises to match the final bid on players from the pool who were a part of their squad in the previous season. However, a team can use the FBM card only twice in the auction, but it also depends on the number of retentions. If the concerned team retains five players, they can use it once, while the option is not applicable if they already have six players retained.
When and Where to watch the 2021 PKL mega auction:
Auction Date: August 29-31
Time: 6:30 PM IST (Only the bidding of domestic players in category A on August 30 will be broadcast live)
Telecast:Â Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 1 Hindi HD, Star Sports 2, Star Sports 2 HD, Star Sports FIRST, Star Sports 1 Telugu, Star Sports 1 Tamil and Star Sports 1 Kannada TV channels in India.