GANDHIDHAM: The auction for the inaugural season of the eagerly awaited Gujarat Super League (GSL) lives up to the hype as players from the state draw much attention from the franchisees.
Young Manush Shah, the fourth-ranked men’s player in the national rankings whose base price was Rs 30,000, turned out to be the star of the show as Anand’s Top Notch Achievers bagged his services for a whopping Rs1.11 lakhs after fierce bidding at the auction that was held in Surat.
Among the women’s section, the top-ranked player in the national ranking Sreeja Akula, whose base price was Rs 30,000, predictably drew the highest bid of Rs 96,000 from Bhavnagar’s Bhayani Stars.
The showcase tournament will be organised by the Gujarat State Table Tennis Association from August 18, 2022, to August 21, 2022, at TransStadia in Ahmedabad.
The auction saw eight different teams, with an auction wallet of Rs 2.75 lakhs, seem to have come prepared for the action before the sporting action as some intense bidding marked the day.
“It was good to see that the cumulative amount of wallet of all teams i.e Rs 22,00,000/- being utilized by all franchisees in purchasing the players. This initiative will motivate players to work more hard in the coming days,” GSTTA president Vipul Mittra said.
“The league is an opportunity for the state players to rub shoulders with some of the best players in the country. This league will not only help players learn and gain experience from some of the top players in the country but will also help popularize the sport in the state,” Mr Mittra, IAS, added.
Manush, who looked to have hit the purple patch in recent times, surprisingly pipped the seasoned Harmeet Desai, India no. 3, and Sanil Shetty, India no. 2, in terms of bidding.
Harmeet, who was sold for Rs 93,000, will have a lot to cheer for as he will join hands with his wife and India player Krittwika Sinha Roy, who commanded Rs 36,000, to lead the charges for Multimet Marvels. Marvels also paid an impressive Rs 76,000 to acquire the services of Gujarat’s top female player Frenaz Chipia.
Sanil, who was sold for Rs 75,000, will join another India star Mouma Das, who commanded Rs 74,000, to lead the charge of R World Royals. Royals also paid a royal sum of Rs 40,000, the highest in the Gujarat Junior (U-17) girls’ category, to Gujarat’s upcoming sensation Pratha Pawar.
Manav Thakkar, who is ranked fifth in the national rankings, was sold for Rs 72,000 to Shamal Squad, who also secured the services of young Prapti Sen for Rs 48,000. Shamal Squad also shelled out Rs 46,000 for a teenage Janmejay Patel in the under-17 category.
Tapti Tigers paid an impressive Rs 87,000 for India’s no. 2 women’s player Reeth Rishya while they shelled out Rs 86,000 for Gujarat’s top-ranked under-19 star Filzah Fatema Kadri.
Apart from Sreeja, Bhayani Stars put their trust in local top guns as they secured the services of state no. 3 in men’s ranking Ishaan Hingorani for Rs 52,000 and paid Rs 54,000 for Prarthana Parmar in the Gujarat female category.
Kataria Kings put their trust in Soham Bhattacharya, who had recently moved to the state, with an Rs 80,000 winning bid and state no. 6 in women’s category Aafrein Murad with a winning bid of Rs 62,000.
WinAsia Dazzlers preferred to remain under the radar but appeared to have formed a strong team with Olympian Soumyajit Ghosh, secured for Rs 81,000, leading the charge. They also shelled out an astounding Rs 84,000 for Ahmedabad’s Kausha Bhairapure, women’s no. 2 in state rankings, in the Gujarat women’s category. With Shlok Bajaj, Gujarat male category, and Himansh Dahiya, U-17 category, on the side, the team coached by Muralidhar Rao and Prashant Buch could be the one to watch out for.