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.
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."
So, who is Nitin Tomar?
Born: April 30 1995
From: Malakpur village, Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh
Position: Raider
Pro Kabaddi League debut: Season 3 (January 2016) with Bengal Warriors
Past Pro Kabaddi Teams: Bengal Warriors, Puneri Paltan
Indian national team debut: Kabaddi World Cup 2016 in Ahmedabad
Trivia: Nitin Tomar is also an Indian Navy sailor!
