PANAJI
Shameemudheen emerged as the biggest buy at the Prime Volleyball League (PVL) Season 5 Player Auction held at a hotel in Anjuna on Monday, with Kochi Blue Spikers securing the blocker for ₹20 lakh.
Muhammad Nihal C K was the second-highest buy at ₹19 lakh, while Shon T John and Jasjodh Singh were joint third-highest buys at ₹15.5 lakh each as the league’s 10 franchises strengthened their squads ahead of season five.
The standout story of the auction was the 11 players from the recently concluded under-21 age group, Guardians Trophy held in Panaji, who earned bids from PVL franchises. Among them, Suraj Chaudhary emerged as the highest-valued player, with the young blocker being picked up by Calicut Heroes for ₹9.5 lakh.
Their performances and subsequent selections are a reflection of the abundance of emerging Indian talent and the growing grassroots ecosystem around the sport, with the PVL’s sustained efforts over the last four years helping create a pathway for young players.
The 10 franchises were also divided into two pools for Season 5.
Pool A comprises Bengaluru Torpedoes, Calicut Heroes, Ahmedabad Defenders, Chennai Blitz and Mumbai Meteors, while Pool B features Goa Guardians, Telugu Blackhawks, Delhi Toofans, Kolkata Thunderbolts and Kochi Blue Spikers.
Goa Guardians keen on tapping talent from entire Konkan coast
Raju Chekuri, co-owner of the Goa Guardians (GG) team stated that the franchise was keen to tap volleyball talent from the entire Konkan coast of Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka.
“Goa has a small population and hence it may be necessary to look at talent across the entire Konkan coast,” Chekuri stated while interacting with the mediapersons in Anjuna.
Chekuri also revealed that GG were keen to start a residential academy in the next two-three years to tap and nurture grassroots talent. “The under-21 tournament that we hosted over the last few days in Panaji revealed enormous young talent from across India. It is important to nurture this talent by starting a residential academy.”
