2021 PKL Auction | Pardeep Narwal goes to UP Yoddha for record-breaking 1.65 crore fee

Day 2 of the ongoing 2021 PKL auction was supposed to be the most exciting one, with all the elite Indian players going up for sale. While it was expected that Pardeep ‘Dubki King’ Narwal will grab a lucrative deal, the magnitude was unknown. In the end, he did live up to the hype, with UP Yoddha securing his services ahead of the new season with a fee of 1.65 crores, the most expensive buy in the history of the PKL.

Surprisingly, Siddharth Desai was the second richest player in the auction, having bagged a 1.30 crore deal from Telugu Titans. The raider is the only player apart from Pardeep to go under the hammer for a price of 1 crore or above. Tamil Thalaiva’s buy of Manjeet Chillar for a whopping 92 lakh was the third most expensive deal on Monday evening.

Amongst the others, Deepak Hooda will stay with Jaipur Pink Panthers for 55 lakhs, with the player tagged at 30 lakhs before the auction, while Sandeep Narwal went to Dabang Delhi for 60 lakhs. Experienced Rahul Chaudhari was roped in by Puneri Paltan for a decent 40 lakhs.

Amongst the foreigners, Iran’s Abozar Mohajer Mighani attracted the highest bid, with Bengal Warriors bolstering the side with his inclusion for 30.50 lakhs. South Korean raider Jang Kun Lee, already a star in the PKL, was eventually retained by Patna Pirates for the upcoming season, with him sealing a 20.50 lakhs contract in the auction.