PWL Players Auction: Sujeet Kalkal Draws Rs. 52 Lakh in Round 2 as Women Grapplers Dominate Opening Round

New Delhi: India’s U23 World Champion Sujeet Kalkal emerged as the headline acquisition in the Category A round of the Pro Wrestling League (PWL) 2026 players’ auction, after Delhi Dangal Warriors secured his services for ?52 lakh. Delhi remained one of the most aggressive franchises in Round 2, further strengthening their squad by signing Iran’s Hadi Vafaeipour in the men’s 86 kg category for ?26 lakh and Mexico’s Karla Acosta in the women’s 57 kg division.

Haryana Thunders made a strong statement in women’s wrestling, acquiring Olympic medallist Iryna Koliadenko for ?44 lakh in the women’s 62 kg category. They also added Azerbaijan’s Ashirov Ashraf to their men’s 86 kg lineup.

Maharashtra Kesari focused on building a balanced squad, roping in Asian Games medallist Deepak Punia in the men’s 86 kg category and Manisha Bhanvala in women’s 57 kg. Punjab Royals were active across divisions, signing Dinesh Gulia for ?36 lakh, Priya Malik for ?29 lakh, and Poland’s Roksana Zasina.

UP Dominators added Nisha Dahiya in the women’s 62 kg category at the base price and brought in Rahul Dalal for the men’s 57 kg division. Tigers of Mumbai Dangal, however, did not make any selections in this round.

The auction is being conducted across four categories—A+ (Marquee), A, B, and C—with base prices fixed at ?18 lakh, ?12 lakh, ?8 lakh, and ?3 lakh, respectively. The league has a total purse of ?12 crore, with each of the six franchises allotted ?2 crore to assemble squads across nine weight categories, comprising five men’s and four women’s divisions.

Earlier in Round 1, women wrestlers dominated the bidding. Japan’s Tokyo 2020 gold medallist Yui Susaki attracted the highest bid of the auction so far, fetching a record ?60 lakh from Haryana Thunders. World Championship medallist Antim Panghal was signed by UP Dominators for ?52 lakh in the women’s 53 kg category, while Puerto Rico’s Ana Godinez went to Punjab Royals for ?46 lakh in the women’s 62 kg division. Delhi Dangal Warriors further bolstered their women’s roster by signing Azerbaijan’s Anastasiya Alpayeva for ?27 lakh in the women’s 76 kg category.

Among the marquee men’s signings in the A+ category, Poland’s Robert Baran was snapped up by Maharashtra Kesari for ?55 lakh, while Paris 2024 bronze medallist Aman Sehrawat joined Tigers of Mumbai Dangal for ?51 lakh, underlining the premium placed on proven international performers. Delhi Dangal Warriors also added Azerbaijan’s Turan Bayramov, while UP Dominators strengthened their core with Vasyl Mikhailov and Arman Andreasyan.

Each franchise is required to build a squad of nine to twelve wrestlers, including four overseas players—two men and two women—and must mandatorily include at least one Category C wrestler. With several bidding rounds still to come, teams are expected to continue fine-tuning their line-ups as the PWL 2026 auction progresses.

With inputs from IANS