Neeraj, the day’s most expensive buy

But, Neeraj Kumar did attract a lot of interest from four teams. Bengal Warriors, Gujarat Fortunegiants, Patna Pirates and Tamil Thalaivas were involved in a bidding war. In the end, the three-time title-winner Patna walked out with the cover defender for Rs 44.75 lakh, the day’s most expensive pick.

Rakesh Kumar-coached Haryana Steelers snapped up the next two costliest competitors. While defender Vikas Kale was roped in for Rs 34.25 lakh, Naveen was picked for Rs 33.5 lakh in the accelerated process. He went unsold the first time around and was the first player drawn out of the bag right after Category D.

Most of the guys were sold at their base prices, with only three crossing the Rs 20 lakh-mark (apart from those bought for over 30 lakh). All-rounder Vishal headed to Jaipur Pink Panthers for Rs 25.25 lakh after the ‘Pink City’ franchise outbid Haryana. Almost all sides pose a similar shape to last season, with them believing on “continuity bringing consistency”.

A total of 200 players (173 domestic and 27 international) were recruited by the 12 teams. Well-known names like Sachin Shingade, Tushar Patil, Sachin Vittala and Ajay Kumar went unsold. In fact, Sachin Vittala was a regular starter for Gujarat, but the corner defender found no buyers in PKL 7.

Thalaivas spent Rs 32 lakh on Category C defender Ajeet. The Uttarakhand-based lad joins Mohit Chhillar, Manjeet Chhillar and Ran Singh in the defence. Yashwant Bishnoi (Rs 10 lakh), Shabeer Bappu (Rs 10 lakh), Vineet Sharma (Rs 10 lakh) and Ajith Kumar (Rs 6 lakh) were all acquired at their base prices by the team.