Pylavasagi Tops APL Season 4 Auction
Also among the most-inspiring stories of the auction was that of Korukonda Budda Ram Durgesh Naidu, who was selected by Amaravati Royals for Rs 40,000.
Visakhapatnam:The auction for players in Season 4 of the Andhra Premier League (APL) was held here on Monday, when Pylavasagi from Royals of Rayalaseema achieved the highest auction value of Rs 1,15,000 among non-marquee players.
Also among the most-inspiring stories of the auction was that of Korukonda Budda Ram Durgesh Naidu, who was selected by Amaravati Royals for Rs 40,000. His journey from helping his parents at a roadside tiffin stall to becoming a promising all-rounder in the Andhra Premier League exemplifies the transformative power of cricket.
The young player has represented Andhra from Under-12 to Under-23 levels.
The selections for marquee players had been completed earlier at `10 lakh each, and the auction held on Monday involved bidding for additional players of all categories, resulting in the finalization of squads for seven franchises.
Each of the seven teams made significant investments, with a budget of Rs 45 lakh allocated to each franchise. Six of the seven teams fully utilized their budget.
Amaravati Royals, Royals of Rayalaseema, Tungabhadra Warriors, Simhadri Vizag Lions, Kakinada Kings and Bhimavaram Bulls spent their entire `45 lakh budget, while Vijayawada SunShiners ended up with `5 lakh, left after spending `40 lakh on their team. The cumulative auction expenditure amounted to `310 lakh across all teams.
All seven competing teams had acquired their marquee players prior to the auction, with every marquee signing valued at `10 lakh each.
Amaravati Royals signed Gade Hanuma Vihari, Vijayawada SunShiners signed Kattinheeti Aswini Hebbar, Royals of Rayalaseema signed Shaik Rasheed, Tungabhadra Warriors signed Kodi Venkata Sasikanth, Simhadri Vizag Lions signed Bhui Ricky, Kakinada Kings signed Kona Srikar Bharat and Bhimavaram Bulls signed Kavi Nitish Kumar Reddy.
A highlight of the U-19 acquisitions was Allareddy Arhith, who was bought by Tungabhadra Warriors for Rs 1,00,000, making him the most expensive Under-19 player at the auction. Thupakula Dheera Reddy was signed by Royals of Rayalaseema for Rs 60,000, while Kancherla Anand Josiah was signed by Tungabhadra Warriors for Rs 60,000.
Other notable U-19 signings included Samadhi Bhumika Reddy, who joined Kakinada Kings for Rs 60,000, and Kasturi Haneeesh Veera Reddy, who was selected by Simhadri Vizag Lions for Rs 42,000.