PWL Auctions: Sushil Kumar Becomes The Most Expensive Wrestler

File photo of Sushil Kumar.

(Photo: Reuters)

Double Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar was picked for a whopping Rs 55 lakh by the Delhi Sultans during the Pro Wrestling League auctions in New Delhi on 23 December.

Six franchises intensely bid for India's individual Olympian, who recently won gold at the Commonwealth Wrestling Championship in South Africa.

We are honoured to have Sushil as part of our team. We are currently bidding for the best players and are certain of making it as the best team.

Statement, Delhi Sultans

The PWL is set to begin on 9 January 2018.

Ahead of the auction, team owners were mulling over ways to buy Sushil without burning a hole in their pockets, The Indian Express reported.

At a base price of Rs 25 Lakh, Sushil was no doubt the costliest player on the list. At the end of the auction, Sushil emerged as not just the costliest player in this auction, but the most expensive in the history of the league. He was purchased by Delhi Sultan for Rs 55 lakh after a serious bidding war against Veer Maratha team.

In the first auctions, Sushil Kumar did not get the kind of price he wanted, with the likes of Yogeshwar Dutt and three women wrestlers priced higher than him, which was reported to be the reason of him pulling out of the league at the very last moment, according to the Indian Express. His price tag of Rs 55 lakh is about Rs 17 lakh more than what he got in 2015.

No other wrestler has got a price of even Rs 50 lakh, be it Indian or foreign, with Georgian Vladimir Khinchegashvili being the next highest priced wrestler, sold for Rs 48 lakh in 2016. 

With inputs from PTI and the Indian Express)