Mukund, Riya and Sahaja to Be Part of Pro Tennis League Auction Pool

Mukund Sasikumar, Riya Bhatia and Sahaja Yamalapalli will be part of the player pool for the upcoming auction of the fifth edition of the Pro Tennis League (PTL). The auction is set to take place at the RK Khanna Tennis Stadium in a few days.

The auction will see eight teams vying for a total of 40 players, categorized into five segments: Men’s Pro (1 player), Women’s Pro (1 player), Next-Gen Men’s Pro (1 player), Next-Gen Women’s Pro* (1 player) and Masters Player (1 player, already allocated).

Mukund has achieved a career-high ATP singles ranking of 229 on October 17, 2019. Additionally, he holds a career-high ATP doubles ranking of 431, achieved on February 3, 2020. On the other hand, Riya boasts a career-high WTA ranking of 338 in singles, reached on March 2, 2020 and 387 in doubles, attained on May 17, 2021. Riya has clinched three singles and three doubles titles in tournaments of the ITF Women’s Circuit. Sahaja’s highest rank was 380 in singles and 513 in doubles.

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The specific procedure for conducting the auction will be determined by a draw of lots before its commencement. During the auction, each set of players will be auctioned first before moving on to the next set.

Teams will be allocated a virtual budget of 1,00,00,000 points for the auction process. Notably, each player in the pool has been assigned notional values following extensive research by PTL Sports Group.

The bidding for each player will begin at the minimum bidding price for that player and can go up to the cap or ceiling price specified in the league’s excel sheet, which will be dynamic. Teams will not be permitted to exceed their allocated budget.

Abhijeet Dangat, Pro Tennis Business Development Head, expressed, “As we gather for the players’ auction, we see more than just bids and numbers. We witness the spirit of determination, the thrill of potential and the promise of greatness by these budding players. I would like to wish all the team owners the best of luck ahead of the season and hope to see some thrilling and entertaining matches in the league.”

Here are the base prices for all player categories:

• Men’s Pro: 10,00,000 points
• Women’s Pro: 10,00,000 points
• Next-Gen Men’s Pro: 5,00,000 points
• Next-Gen Women’s Pro: 5,00,000 points

The minimum balance required by team owners after bidding for each player will be as follows:

• Men’s Pro – 1 player: 20,00,000 points
• Women’s Pro – 1 player: 10,00,000 points
• Next-Gen Men’s Pro – 1 player: 5,00,000 points
• Next-Gen Women’s Pro – 1 player: 0 points