Pro Kabaddi League | 29 players retained by PKL franchises for next season

29 players from the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) have been retained by their respective franchisees under the 'Elite Retained Players' category as the organisers revealed today. The non-retained players will go under the hammer at the auctions to be held on April 8-9.

"The League is cognizant of the significance of squad continuity and long-term association of players with their respective teams towards creating strong hooks and bonds for fans as well as sponsors. With this realisation, PKL has consistently strengthened its Player Retention Policy to facilitate and augment squad continuity, to benefit players as well as their teams.

"Franchises can retain up to six elite players from either category A, B or C, with a maximum of two each from Category A and B," League Commissioner Anupam Goswami told PTI sources.

The Elite Player Retention cap has increased from a maximum of four players to six. The Indian league has also introduced a new category where a franchise can retain a New Young Player, once his two-year contract is fulfilled under the “Retained Young Players” category.

Experienced players such as Rohit Kumar (Bengaluru Bulls), Fazel Atrachali (U Mumba), Pardeep Narwal (Patna Pirates), Deepak Hooda (Jaipur Pink Panthers), Joginder Narwal (Dabang Delhi K.C) and Maninder Singh (Bengal Warriors) have also been retained by their respective teams.

Sehrawat (Bengaluru Bulls), Vikash Khandola (Haryana Steelers), Sachin (Gujarat Fortunegiants), Sandeep Dhull (Jaipur Pink Panthers) have also been retained by their respective teams.