Tennis Premier League Season 7: Bidding wars heat up at player auction

The Tennis Premier League (TPL) Season 7 player auction saw fierce bidding wars, with Sriram Balaji and Rithvik Bollipalli securing the highest bids. Top tennis talents like Shrivalli Bhamidipaty, Carole Monnet, and others were also acquired by franchises

Hyderabad: The Tennis Premier League (TPL), powered by Clear Premium Water, conducted its highly anticipated Season 7 Player Auction on October 9 in Mumbai, with tennis legends Leander Paes, Sania Mirza, and Mahesh Bhupathi in attendance, alongside league co-founders Kunal Thakkur and Mrunal Jain.

The auction witnessed intense bidding as franchises competed to assemble their squads ahead of a landmark season scheduled from December 9 to 14 at the Gujarat University Tennis Stadium in Ahmedabad.

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SG Pipers Bengaluru, led by Indian doubles legend Rohan Bopanna, acquired Shrivalli Bhamidipaty, India’s No. 2 singles player, who is in top form after recently winning the Billie Jean King Cup Asia/Oceania Group 1 for India, for INR 8.60 lakh. The team also secured 30-year-old Ramkumar Ramanathan for INR 7.20 lakh, combining seasoned experience with emerging talent.

Defending champions Hyderabad Strikers, led by Arthur Rinderknech (World No. 54), engaged in a competitive bidding war to secure French youngster Carole Monnet (World No. 205) for INR 10.60 lakh. They also welcomed back their doubles star from last season, Vishnu Vardhan, for INR 6 lakh.

GS Delhi Aces, led by marquee player Tomas Martin Etcheverry, currently ranked World No. 58, secured Belgium’s Sofia Costoulas (World No. 168) for INR 11 lakh after a tense bidding war against Gujarat Panthers and Hyderabad Strikers. The franchise also added doubles specialist Jeevan Neduncheziyan (INR 6 lakh), strengthening both their singles and doubles lineup.

Gurgaon Grand Slammers, led by Corentin Moutet (World No. 38), added Nuria Parrizas Diaz, an experienced singles player who had a career-high ranking of 45 in 2022, for INR 6 lakh. The highlight of their auction day was the acquisition of Sriram Balaji (World No. 78 in doubles) for INR 12 lakh, the highest permissible bid, making him the joint-costliest player of the auction.

Chennai Smashers, with Czech star Dalibor Svrcina (World No. 91) as their marquee player, secured Irina Bara (INR 6 lakh) and made a big move to acquire doubles specialist Rithvik Bollipalli, ranked 71 in the world, for INR 12 lakh, matching the top bid of the day and adding a rising doubles star to their roster.

Yash Mumbai Eagles, anchored by Bosnia’s Damir Dzhumhur, former World No. 23, and currently ranked 67, acquired Mariam Bolkvadze (INR 6 lakh) and Niki Poonacha (INR 6 lakh) to set up a balanced squad for the seventh season.

Gujarat Panthers, with marquee player Alexandre Muller (World No. 39), acquired Nuria Brancaccio for INR 10 lakh after a spirited bidding contest. They also secured Anirudh Chandrasekhar, currently enjoying his career-highest ranking of 87 in doubles, for INR 7 lakh, strengthening their doubles options.

Rajasthan Rangers, anchored by Luciano Darderi (World No. 29), the highest-ranked player of TPL Season 7, picked up Anastasia Gasanova (INR 6 lakh) at base price and secured 25-year-old Dhakshineswar Suresh for INR 7.50 lakh after jumping the bid.

With the top bids of the night going to doubles specialists Sriram Balaji and Rithvik Bollipalli (INR 12 lakh each), the league has highlighted the premium on experienced doubles talent in shaping competitive squads this season.

Kunal Thakkur, Co-Founder of TPL, said, “Season 7 has truly raised the bar for the league. Seeing franchises compete fiercely to acquire top talent, both Indian and international, shows the growing quality and competitiveness of TPL. Fans are in for an electrifying season of high-level tennis and thrilling action.”