Nitin Tomar, who? Meet the Team UP raider bought for Rs. 93 lakh at Pro Kabaddi League 2017 auction

Nitin Tomar, an Indian Navy sailor, was bought for a record-breaking fee by Team UP, owned by the Bengaluru-based GMR Group.

The Pro Kabaddi League auction 2017 started off with a bang with Manjeet Chhillar going for an unbelievable 75.5 lakh INR to the Abhishek Bachchan co-owned Jaipur Pink Panthers. That very move gave us an indication that the cash is set to be splashed like anything, on Monday May 22.

Just a half an hour or so for the auction to end, the name of Nitin Tomar came up from the raiders section, and after a furious bidding war with Telugu Titans, Team UP landed the hotstar for an are-you-kidding-me amount of 93 lakh INR. His base price was a mere 20 lakh INR.

A post shared by NITIN TOMAR (@nitin_tomar0077) on May 22, 2017 at 11:26am PDT

Team UP, owned by the Bengaluru-based infrastructural company GMR Group, made their intentions clear that they were a serious player when coming to choosing the right talent and also in the game of money.

The yet unnamed Uttar Pradesh franchisee did not pick a priority player, the incredible opportunity given to the four new teams of the Pro Kabaddi League season 5, to pick a star player. That was possibly a result of much-thinking made behind the scenes.

For the GMR Group -- the brains behind the Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi and the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad -- it was all about making a statement with money.

"It's a dream come true. All my family members are happy. I am grateful to Team UP for investing in me," said Tomar, after he possibly felt the biggest cloud 9 moment in his career.

"This is quite exciting and motivating, and it shows my teams' belief in me. I am happy with the way the team is shaping up in the auction and I look forward to an action-packed season 5."