In the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) 2025 auction held on May 31 and June 1 in Mumbai, 500 players went under the hammer to get fetched by 12 teams. At the marquee business event, 12 teams splurged INR 37.90 crore to snap up 121 players. Iran’s Mohammad Reza Shadloui emerged as the star of the business extravaganza as he was sold for INR 2.23 crore to Gujarat Giants and became the costliest player of the year. Following Shadloui, Devank Dalal became the second-most expensive buy as he became a part of Bengal Warriorz for 2.20 crore.
One one side, Gujarat and Bengal spent whopping amounts to reserve the services of these players while on the other hand, some teams displayed astuteness and reserved the services of some star players at thrifty amounts. These players have proven themselves in the past and they might hand success to their teams in the upcoming season. After witnessing some magnificent buys in the PKL 2025 auction, SportsTiger has come up with five steal deals of the event.
Here are the five steal deals in the PKL 2025 auction so far:
5. Maninder Singh to Patna Pirates: INR 20 Lakh
Maninder Singh is known for his superb raiding brilliance. In the previous season, he was a crucial member of Bengal Warriorz and he did a fine job in his position. As an attacker, his success rate was more than 48%. This year, he enrolled himself in the auction and went to the three-time PKL champions Patna Pirates, who grabbed the opportunity and acquired him for the season at his basic price of INR 20 lakh.
4. Rinku Narwal to U Mumba: INR 21 Lakhs
The 2015 champions U Mumba have bought Rinku, who is known for his exceptional defending brilliance. Rinku, who was at the auction for his base amount of INR 20 lakh, became part of U Mumba for just INR 21 lakh only. The youngster is known for his nimbleness and his role will be to bolster Mumba’s defense along with his captain Sunil Kumar and Amirmohammad Zafardanesh.
3. Ankush Rathee to Bengaluru Bulls: INR 30 lakhs
Ankush Rathee, who was a vital member of Jaipur Pink Panthers in 2024, will be seen in Bengaluru Bulls’ jersey this season. He became a part of the 2018 champions side for just INR 30 lakh, which was his starting amount at the auction. In the previous season, he earned 68 points through his tackle strike rate of more than 60%.
2. Manjeet Dahiya to Jaipur Pink Panthers: INR 40 lakh
Manjeet Dahiya, who has been part of U Mumba, Puneri Paltans, Haryana Steelers, and Tamil Thalaivas, will don Jaipur Pink Panthers’ jersey for the first time. Panthers picked him up for just INR 40 lakh after getting involved in a bidding fight with Dabang Delhi. Dahiya gained 107 points in 23 matches for U Mumba in the previous season. It was his lowest performance of his PKL career after 2019. However, forgetting his miserable season, he will look to be at his best in his new team this year.
1. Pawan Sehrawat to Tamil Thalaivas: INR 59.5 lakh
All-rounder Pawan Sehrawat will be making a comeback in Tamil Thalaivas after three years as they bought the 28-year-old for INR 59.5 lakh. Back in 2023, he emerged as the most-expensive player of the season as Telugu Titans handed him an INR 2.5-crore contract to extract his services. However, he failed to justify his heavy amount last season which led to his release from the squad. This year, he will look to prove himself while serving Thalaivas in all departments of the game.
