Sachin Tendulkar graces ISPL auction; Vijay Pawle grabs highest ever price tag of Rs 32.5 lakh

ISPL delivers a blockbuster season 3 player auction with close to Rs 10 crore spent on 144 players as eight franchises went head-to-head in an intense day of bidding in Mumbai

Hyderabad: The Indian Street Premier League (ISPL), India’s pioneering tennis-ball T-10 cricket tournament, delivered a blockbuster Season 3 Player Auction with close to Rs 10 crore spent on 144 players as eight franchises went head-to-head in an intense day of bidding in Mumbai.

Vijay Pawle emerged as the auction’s biggest headline, fetching Rs 32.50 lakh, the league’s highest ever price tag, from defending champions Majhi Mumbai. The star all-rounder from the West Zone returns to familiar territory, having led Mumbai to the title last season. Ketan Mhatre, also from the West Zone, was retained by Chennai Singams through the Right to Match (RTM) card for Rs 26.40 lakh, making him the second-highest pick of the day.

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With two new teams, Ahmedabad Lions and Delhi Superheros, joining the league, Season 3 promises to be the most competitive edition yet. The tournament will be held from January 9 – February 6, 2026 at the Lalbhai Contractor Stadium, Surat. Tickets will be available on BookMyShow soon.

This year’s auction showcased ISPL’s growing influence, with 408 players from 101 cities going under the hammer.

The event drew some of the biggest names in cricket and entertainment, including ISPL Core Committee members Sachin Tendulkar, Ashish Shelar, Minal Amol Kale, Suraj Samat, and Dipak Chauhan, President – Operations. Team co-owners in attendance included Akshay Kumar (Srinagar Ke Veer), Saif Ali Khan & Aksha Kamboj (Tiigers of Kolkata), Hrithik Roshan and Divy Dangi (Bengaluru Strikers), Niti Agarwal (Majhi Mumbai), Zayd Noman (Falcon Risers Hyderabad), Rajdip Gupta (Chennai Singams), and Ajay Devgn, Jahidhmohmed Vijapura & Izazahmad Khanusiya (Ahmedabad Lions), along with Salman Khan and Arpita Khan Sharma (Delhi Superheros).

The day opened on a spectacular note with the official unveiling of the ‘Street Star’, a humanoid innovation set to redefine fan engagement in ISPL Season 3.

The U-19 category saw spirited bidding. Ankit Yadav emerged as the costliest youngster, snapped up by the Tigers of Kolkata for Rs 6.50 lakh. Meanwhile, 16-year-old Rudra Patil created history as the youngest player of Season 3, picked by Srinagar Ke Veer at his base price of Rs 3 lakh.

Speaking during the auctions, Sachin Tendulkar, Core Committee Member, ISPL, said, “I started playing cricket because I was passionate. So, my advice to all the ISPL players is this: be yourself. Whatever you were yesterday, can you better yourself today? This is one such platform where you can go out, express yourself, and everyone is watching you and enjoying your talent. Climb the mountain so that you can see the world, not so that the world can see you.”

Ashish Shelar, Core Committee Member, ISPL, said: “The ISPL was created to give promising talent a stage to shine, and it’s heartening to see lakhs of young players embracing the opportunity. We have built this platform with a professional, future-focused approach, and its impact is already visible. I am confident that ISPL will continue to grow from strength to strength and unlock even more potential across the country.”

Suraj Samat, Core Committee Member and League Commissioner, ISPL, said: “This edition of the auction was among the most competitive we have seen so far. Franchises came in with clear strategies, and the use of Googly Power, RTM and retention added great depth to the proceedings. The squads are well-balanced, and we are confident that fans will witness a high-quality and entertaining season in Surat.”