Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, May 17: The Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) on Saturday announced its list of Elite Retained Players, Retained Young Players, and New Young Players for Season 12, ahead of the much-anticipated player auction slated for May 31 and June 1 in Mumbai.
Among the key names retained are Sunil Kumar and Amirmohammad Zafardanesh by U Mumba, Jaideep Dahiya by Haryana Steelers, Surender Gill by UP Yoddhas, and the dynamic Puneri Paltan duo — Aslam Inamdar and Mohit Goyat.
A total of 83 players were retained across categories: 25 under Elite Retained Players (ERP), 23 under Retained Young Players (RYP), and 35 as New Young Players (NYP).
Over 500 players are set to go under the hammer, including Indian stars Pawan Sehrawat, Arjun Deshwal, Ashu Malik, and PKL 11’s top raider Devank Dalal. Iranian stalwarts Fazel Atrachali and Mohammadreza Shadloui, as well as veterans Maninder Singh and Pardeep Narwal, will also be in the fray.
Star raider Naveen Kumar, the PKL 8 champion, will enter the auction for the first time after scoring 1102 raid points for Dabang Delhi K.C. across six seasons — becoming the first player in PKL history to have 1000+ points for a single team before entering an auction.
Players will be divided into four categories (A, B, C, D), each with designated base prices — INR 30 lac for A, 20 lac for B, 13 lac for C, and 9 lac for D. These will be further split into 'All-Rounders', 'Defenders', and 'Raiders'.
Each franchise will have a salary purse of INR 5 cr to assemble their squad for the upcoming season.