Prannoy, Srikanth in demand at PBL-3 auction

Hyderabad, Oct 9: Star Indian shuttlers H.S. Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth emerged as the most valuable players in the auction for the third Vodafone Premier Badminton League here on Monday.

Prannoy and Srikanth were picked up by Ahmedabad Smash Masters and Awadhe Warriors and will earn a whopping Rs 62 lakh and Rs 56.1 lakh respectively.

Among others, Sameer Verma (Mumbai Rockets, Rs 52 lakh) and Ajay Jayaram (North East Warriors, Rs 45 lakh) were also very much in demand as the eight teams vie for the top honours in the 24-day league.

The country's star women shuttlers P.V. Sindhu (Cheni Smasher, Rs 48.75 lakh) and Olympic bronze medallist Sai Nehwal (Awadhe Warriors, Rs 41.2 lakh), were locked up in the first round itself as their old teams opted to retain them.

With the presence of Olympic champion Caroli Marin, World No.1 Tai Tzu Ying and Korea's Sung Ji Hyun, this becomes a world-class field.

Among the foreign stars, Tian Houwei of Chi was the biggest gainer, going to Delhi Acers for Rs 58 lakh.

Chris Adcock of England (Cheni Smashers, Rs 54 lakh), Tai Tzu Ying (Ahmedabad Smash Masters, Rs 52 lakh), Wang Tzu Wei of Taiwan (North East Warriors, Rs 52 lakh), World No. 1 Viktor Axelsen of Denmark (Bengaluru Blasters, Rs 50 lakh), Son Wan Ho of Korea (Mumbai Rockets, Rs 50 lakh), Lee Yong Dae of Korea (Mumbai Rockets, Rs 46.8 lakh) were the biggest buys in an action-packed auction.

The 24-day league will see the eight teams, mely Delhi Acers, Mumbai Rockets, Bengaluru Blasters, Cheni Smashers, Hyderabad Hunters, North Eastern Warriors, Ahmedabad Smash Masters and Awadhe Warriors in action. IANS