India’s foremost tennis tournament, Tennis Premier League (TPL) has begun proceedings for its sixth season with the auction, which was held at Sahara Star in Mumbai. The auction, which was attended by tennis superstars Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, and Sania Mirza, as well as Bollywood actresses Rakul Preet Singh and Sonali Bendre, saw all eight franchises compete for elite tennis talent.
Following an intense four rounds of bidding with several twists and turns, all teams created extremely competitive squads that included a diverse range of intriguing talents from across the world.
Elina Avanesyan, a 22-year-old Armenian rising talent playing in the competition for the first time, garnered the highest bid of INR 42.20 lakh from Punjab Patriots, which are owned by Priyesh Jain and backed by Taapsee Pannu.
Australian Max Purcell, who has won two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles, was purchased by the reigning champion Bengaluru SG Pipers for INR 42 lakh, making him the second most expensive player of the evening. The Indian tennis legend Mahesh Bhupathi, who is also the CEO of SG Sports and team-owner Rohan Gupta, was the winning bidder for Purcell despite entering the race later than their rivals.
Bengal Wizards, who were the runners-up in the previous season, added Croatian tennis player Petra Matric, who has won two Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) singles titles in her career, to their roster for a base price of INR 35 lakh. The Wizards worked their magic in the second group of players, earning the services of experienced star Sriram Balaji for INR 6.20 lakh by using their Right to Match card.
Ramku Patgir’s Gujarat Panthers also pulled off a spectacular acquisition of top player Sumit Nagal for a base price of INR 35 lakh.
Owned by Dr. Veekkas Mahamuni, Yash Mumbai Eagles invested much in acquiring Jaqueline Cristian, an accomplished Romanian tennis player who made waves at this year’s Paris Olympics 2024.
Shrachi Delhi Rarh Tigers, owned by Rahul Todi and supported by Leander Paes, went all out to sign Indian senior ace Rohan Bopanna. Bopanna, who became the oldest player in history to achieve World No. 1 status after winning the Men’s doubles title at the Australian Open 2024, was a big triumph for Delhi, laying the groundwork for future auctions of success. The lengthy bidding process for Iryna solidified Delhi’s persistent pursuit of quality ahead of the season.
The new team Chennai Smashers, owned by Vipul Bansal of Hi-Tech Pipes and Dharmender Goel of Ganga International School and supported by Bollywood superstar Sonali Bendre, made a wise investment for French youngster Hugo Gaston, who has received a lot of attention over the years for his unconventional style of play.
Tennis Premier League Co-founder, Kunal Thakkur, said, “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 TPL, commented, “The exciting bidding wars is 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.”
In collaboration with the All-India Tennis Association (AITA) and the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA), the TPL gets underway at Mumbai’s storied Cricket Club of India. The Innovative Tennis League is scheduled to begin on December 3, 2024, and run through December 8, 2024.
At the event, SportsMint Media had an opportunity to have an exclusive interaction with Amitava Bhattacharya, Chief Business Officer of Shrachi Sports, owners of Delhi Rarh Tigers.
What’s your initial impression of the Tennis Premier League?
Very professional. This is the first time we’ve had to put together a squad. We are quite pleased with the auction and how it was performed. It’s wonderful to be here. I believe that tennis requires this type of competition in which native talent can compete against foreign athletes.