Pro Kabaddi Auction 2022: Date, start time, purse pool, player categories & other details

Over 500 kabaddi players across the globe are all set to go under the hammer during the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Auction 2022, taking place on Friday and Saturday in Mumbai. The two-day event will see the 12 participating teams building their teams for the 9th season of the Pro Kabaddi. While all teams have retained players from their previous squads, a few big names have also been released. Having said that, here’s a look at the starting time, purse pool, player categories & other interesting details about the auction.

Pro Kabaddi Auction 2022: Date, Time, Venue, and Live Streaming

Date: August 5 and August 6

Venue: Trident Marine Lines in Mumbai

Starting time: 6:30 PM IST

Live Streaming: Disney+Hotstar

Telecast:  Star Sports 2, Star Sports 2 HD, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 1 Hindi HD, and Star Sports First

PKL Auction 2022: Player Categories and Teams

The 12 participating teams in the PKL 2022 are Bengal Warriors, UP Yoddhas, U Mumba, Tamil Thalaivas, Bengaluru Bulls, Gujarat Giants, Dabang Delhi KC, Telugu Titans, Patna Pirates, Haryana Steelers, Jaipur Pink Panthers, and Puneri Paltan. Meanwhile, the players who will go under the hammer in the auctions consist of the Domestic, Overseas, and New Young Players (NYPs). These players have been divided into four categories and will be further divided into sub-categories of  ‘All-Rounders’, ‘Defenders’ and ‘Raiders’.

Here’s the base price of players for each of the four categories-

Category A – INR 30 Lakhs

Category B – INR 20 Lakhs

Category C – INR 10 Lakhs

Category D – INR 6 Lakhs.

Pro Kabaddi Auction 2022: Purse Pool, Player Retentions, and Squad Limit

Each of the 12 teams had a total player purse of INR 4.4 crore ahead of the auction, but the funds will reduce based on the no. of player retentions. The signing amount for a player by the team serves as the total salary of the player for the entire season. The teams have retained upto six players under the Elite Retained Players category and up to 4 New Young Players (NYPs) under stipulated conditions. It should also be noted that the teams are required to have a minimum of 18 players and a maximum of 25 players on their team.

Pardeep Narwal and Pawan Sehrawat are two of the most successful raiders in the tournament’s history and they are set to go under the hammer on Friday. It is pertinent to mention that Pawan was the best raider in the league last season. Bengaluru Bulls’ decision to release him ahead of season 9 received criticism from fans. However, the 2022 edition of PKL certainly promises to be an exciting tournament.

(Image: @prokabaddi/Instagram)