10 crorepatis highlight Day 1 and Aanil Mohan scripts history on Day 2
New FBM rule sees 5 players retained across two seasons as franchises invest heavily in squad building for Season 12
Day 1 saw 10 players cross INR 1 Crores, doubling Season 10’s count and setting a new PKL player auction record
Mohammadreza Shadloui, Devank Dalal occupy the 2-Crore club in the first and last bids of Category A respectively
New Final Bid Match rule sees five players – Ashu Malik (Dabang Delhi), Deepak Singh (Patna Pirates), Md. Amaan (Puneri Paltan), Hardeep and Ghanshyam Roka Magar (Haryana Steelers) – retained for two seasons
Massive surprise in Category D as U Mumba splurge on Aanil Mohan with a bid of INR 78 Lakhs
Ashu Malik, Arjun Deshwal and Naveen Kumar commanded INR 1.90 Crores, INR 1.405 Crores and INR 1.20 Crores respectively.
Yogesh Dahiya’s INR 1.125 Crore bid by Bengaluru Bulls made him the most expensive Indian defender in PKL history
PKL 12 Player Auction sees total spend of INR 37.90 Crores
Mumbai, June 1, 2025: Another exciting PKL Player Auction for Season 12 concluded on Sunday after a weekend of intense bidding action as the 12 franchisees built teams worthy of providing a healthy competition for the upcoming season. 10 Crorepatis were the top highlight of Day 1, as two-time champion Mohammadreza Shadloui joined the Gujarat Giants for a whopping INR 2.23 Crores.
With him in the 2 Crore group was Devank Dalal, the Best Raider in PKL 11. He was signed by Bengal Warriorz for INR 2.205 Crores, making him the fifth-most expensive player in the PKL Player Auction after Shadloui’s bid on Saturday.
The new Final Bid Match (FBM) rule was also seen in action across the two days, allowing teams to buy back their released players by matching the final auction bid price, for either one or two seasons. While five players were retained for two seasons, nine players were retained for one season.
All-rounders shine in Category C
Category C was a golden opportunity for the all-rounders, with the likes of Nitin Rawal, Gurdeep and Dheeraj earning high bids. Nitin joined Jaipur Pink Panthers for a fee of INR 50 Lakhs, while Gurdeep was signed by Puneri Paltan for INR 47.10 Lakhs and Dheeraj will don the Bengaluru Bulls jersey after earning an impressive bid of INR 40.20 Lakhs. However, it was raider Akash Shinde who took the top bid in this category, moving to Bengaluru Bulls for INR 53.10 Lakhs.
Aanil Mohan steals the show with the highest bid in Category D
In what was one of the most surprising moves of the Player Auction, an exciting bidding war saw U Mumba secure the services of Aanil Mohan for an impressiveINR 78 Lakhs – the highest-ever bid in Category D in PKL history. The all-rounder from Himachal Pradesh won the highest bid across both categories on Day 2, with Uday Parte getting the second-highest bid in Category D. He was signed by Jaipur Pink Panthers for INR 50.10 Lakhs.
Speaking about the Player Auction, Mr. Anupam Goswami, Business Head, Mashal Sports & League Commissioner, Pro Kabaddi League, “It is very positive that the momentum of the PKL 12 Player Auction Day 1 has been maintained on Day 2. The teams have displayed strong interest in Categories C and D, especially through the ₹78 lakh buy for PKL debutant Aanil Mohan, the highest ever for a Category D player in our League’s history. Such fresh players often form the backbone of a team, and investing in their growth is key to building competitive squads for the long term. Of course, the emergence of 10 ‘Crorepati’ players this season reflects a balanced market, where both established names and new talent are being valued appropriately. It sets the tone for another competitive season ahead.”
Aanil Mohan, who was signed by U Mumba, shared his excitement at the end of the Player Auction. I will do my best to ensure I can repay the faith put in me.”
TOP 5 Category A players
Name
Country
Contracted amount
Team
Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh
Iran
2.23 cr
Gujarat Giants
Devank Dalal
India
2.203 cr
Bengal Warriors
Ashu Malik
India
1.90 cr
Dabang Delhi
Arjun Deshwal
India
1.405 cr
Tamil Thalaivas
Yogesh Bijender Dahiya
India
1.125 cr
Bengaluru Bulls
TOP 5 Category B players
Name
Country
Contracted amount
Team
Ankit Jaglan
India
1.573 cr
Patna Pirates
Naveen Sansar Singh Kumar
India
1.20 cr
Haryana Steelers
Guman Singh
India
1.073 cr
UP Yoddhas
Sachin Tanwar
India
1.058 cr
Puneri Paltan
Nitin Kumar Dhankhar
India
1.002 cr
Jaipur Pink Panthers
TOP 5 Category C players
Name
Country
Contracted amount
Team
Akash Santosh Shinde
India
53.10 lakhs
Bengaluru Bulls
Nitin Rawal
India
50 lakhs
Jaipur Pink Panthers
Sandeep Kumar
India
49 lakhs
Mumbai
Gurdeep
India
47.10 lakhs
Puneri Paltan
Dheeraj
India
40.20 lakhs
Bengaluru Bulls
TOP Category D Buys
Name
Country
Contracted amount
Team
Anil
Mohan
India
78 lakhs
Mumbai
Uday
Part
India
50.10 lakhs
Jaipur Pink Panthers
Shubham
Bitake
India
9.10 lakhs
Bengaluru Bulls
