Saina, Sindhu, Srikanth, Marin attract maximum price at PBL season 4 auction

P V Sindhu, Saina Nehwal and world champion Carolina Marin were the expected top buys at the Premier Badminton League season four auction, fetching the maximum price of Rs 80 lakh here Monday.

The unexpected one was rising doubles star Satwiksairaj Rankireddy who was the highest paid non-Icon Indian player with Rs 52 lakh.

With all players returning to the auction pool for the first time since 2015 and no Right to Match (RTM) card at teams' disposal, the exercise gained more significance with franchisees looking to get the combination right besides their ideal Icon player.

Indonesia's Tommy Sugiarto was the highest paid non-Icon Player with Delhi Dashers splurging Rs 70 lakh for his services. The Delhi outfit won a tense battle with two other teams to acquire the World No 11, paying Rs 40 lakh above his base price.

Icon players Marin and Sindhu were the obvious choice for most teams. At least four teams raised the prize purse to Rs 80 lakh, the maximum limit a team can bid for a ...