The Tennis Premier League (TPL) is gearing up for its sixth season, and the excitement is palpable. The eight franchises engaged in an intense bidding war at the auctions held in Mumbai on Wednesday, assembling highly competitive rosters featuring a mix of international talent. The star-studded event saw the return of tennis legends Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, and Sania Mirza, uniting to promote the sport, alongside Bollywood celebrities Rakul Preet Singh and Sonali Bendre.
The Punjab Patriots emerged victorious in the bidding for 22-year-old Armenian rising star Elina Avanesyan, securing her services for a record INR 42.20 Lakh. Despite fierce competition from other teams, the Patriots fought tooth and nail to acquire the World No. 47 player, demonstrating their unwavering commitment to winning the title. The Patriots also secured the services of Arjun Kadhe from the Men’s Platinum Category at the base price and strategically waited until the final round to acquire Mukund Sasikumar for Rs 6.80 Lakh.
The reigning champions, Bengaluru SG Pipers, acquired the second-most expensive player of the evening, Australian Max Purcell. Known for his two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles, Purcell was a hot commodity, and the Pipers fought hard to secure his services for Rs 42 Lakh. Bengaluru further strengthened their squad by acquiring Olympian Ankita Raina for Rs 5 Lakh and doubles specialists Anirudh Chandrasekar for Rs 4 Lakh.
Last year’s finalist, Bengal Wizards, owned by Mr. Yatin Gupte and backed by Sania Mirza, formed a formidable squad once again. They acquired Croatian tennis star Petra Matric, a two-time singles tour winner on the WTA tour, at her base price of Rs 35 Lakh. Demonstrating strategic prowess, the Wizards used their Right to Match card to secure veteran star Sriram Balaji for Rs 6.20 Lakh, earning applause from the crowd. They concluded their acquisitions with the purchase of Niki Poonacha for Rs 3.80 Lakh.
The Gujarat Panthers, owned by Ramku Patgir, displayed a keen understanding of previous auctions and tournaments, making strategic moves. They secured star player Sumit Nagal at his base price of Rs 35 Lakh and fought hard to acquire AITA ranked No. 1 female player Sahaja Yamalapalli for Rs 7.80 Lakh. The Panthers further bolstered their team with the addition of doubles specialist Vijay Sundar for a high bid of Rs 11.5 Lakh.
Dr. Veekkas Mahamuni-owned Yash Mumbai Eagles invested heavily, acquiring experienced Romanian tennis star Jaqueline Cristian, who made her mark at the Paris Olympics this year. They also secured the services of Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan, who recently claimed the doubles title at the Hangzhou Open 2024 tennis, earning his first ATP title. Mumbai’s persistence paid off as they secured the services of Karan Singh in the final round.
Shrachi Delhi Rarh Tigers, owned by Rahul Todi and backed by Leander Paes, made a strong statement by securing Indian veteran star Rohan Bopanna, despite fierce competition from other franchises. Bopanna, who became the oldest player in history to achieve the World No. 1 ranking after winning the Men’s doubles title at the 2024 Australian Open, was a significant acquisition for Delhi. They also acquired Belarus’ Iryna Shymanovich after a long bidding war and concluded their acquisitions with the purchase of Tunisian player Aziz Dougaz.
The new franchise, Chennai Smashers, owned by Vipul Bansal of Hi-Tech Pipes and Dharmender Goel of Ganga International School and backed by Bollywood superstar Sonali Bendre, made a smart buy for French youngster Hugo Gaston, known for his unorthodox style of play. They balanced youth with experience by acquiring Swiss veteran Conny Perrin and concluded their roster with the addition of Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli, who boasts two challenger titles and eight ITF titles.
Kunal Thakkur, co-founder of the TPL, expressed his satisfaction with the successful auctions for Season 6, stating, “We are overwhelmed with the response received for the auction and sincerely thank all the team owners, ambassadors, and mentors for coming together to make this event such an emphatic success. It was fantastic to see the tennis legends Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, and Sania Mirza gather together after so many years to promote tennis in India and support the league.”
Mrunal Jain, co-founder of the TPL, echoed Thakkur’s sentiments, saying, “The exciting bidding wars are what makes the auctions. Today, all the teams executed their plans to perfection and did not settle for anything below excellence. The fact that the top icons of Indian tennis fraternity – Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, and Sania Mirza – gathered for the auctions has already given the upcoming edition a memorable start and promises an exciting season ahead.”
The TPL season 6 will commence at the iconic Cricket Club of India in Mumbai in association with the All-India Tennis Association (AITA) and Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA). The Innovative Tennis League will run from December 3rd to 8th, 2024, promising thrilling matches and showcasing the best of tennis talent from around the world.
