Harmanpreet Singh Breaks Bank at Hockey India League Auctions
Harmanpreet Singh, the Indian hockey captain, emerged as the most sought-after player at the Hockey India League auctions, fetching a staggering ₹78 lakh from Soorma Hockey Club. The ace drag-flicker’s acquisition set the tone for a bidding frenzy, with several Indian national team players commanding prices far exceeding their base price of ₹10 lakh.
Abhishek Nain became the second-most expensive buy at ₹72 lakh, snapped up by Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers. India vice-captain Hardik Singh was acquired by UP Rudras for ₹70 lakh. Jugraj Singh (Bengal) and Amit Rohidas (Tamil Nadu Dragons) rounded out the top Indian buys at ₹48 lakh each.
Among the overseas players, Gonzalo Peillat was the most coveted, triggering a fierce bidding war before being acquired by Hyderabad Toofans for a massive ₹68 lakh. The Argentine-turned-German became the fourth most expensive player overall, surpassing Dutch drag-flicker Jip Janssen, who went for ₹54 lakh to Tamil Nadu Dragons.
Youngsters Araijit Singh Hundal and Rohit also had impressive outings, fetching ₹42 lakh (Gonasika) and ₹40 lakh (SG Pipers) respectively. Australian forward Jeremy Hayward (JSW, ₹42 lakh) and Dutchman Lars Balk (UP, ₹40 lakh) were the other prominent foreign buys.
However, Gurjant Singh and Mandeep Singh were left disappointed, receiving only ₹19 lakh and ₹25 lakh respectively as teams initially hesitated before gaining momentum.
The auction also witnessed some confusion when Dutch goalkeeper Maurits Visser was put up for bidding before franchises were informed of his withdrawal, forcing last-minute adjustments.
Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey acknowledged that the ₹4 crore purse was insufficient, stating that the possibility of increasing it next year would be considered after reviewing feedback from franchises.