Sandeep Dhull was a steal at Pro Kabaddi League auction, says Dabang Delhi coach

Riding on his youth brigade, Krishan Hooda is credited with converting Dabad Delhi from a perennial bottomer to a force to reckon with in Pro Kabaddi League.

Having released seasoned allrounder Sandeep Narwal ahead of the ninth player auction, as much as revelling in his “steal” of the first day – Sandeep Dhull – Hooda was looking forward to acquiring more young talent on the second day of the auction.

“We still have one corner on our wishlist. We are looking forward to a new domestic signing so that we will have another young brigade ready to roll,” Hooda told The Hindu ahead of the second day’s proceedings of the player auction.

“Even Naveen Kumar was picked through NYP (New Young Programme). So were Ashu Malik and Krishan Dhull. We couldn’t give Krishan too many chances but this year, I am looking at Krishan as a main corner. And you’ll see four or five youngsters who are learning quickly so that they can reach greater heights.”

Hooda was thrilled with Sandeep Dhull, referring to him as a “steal” for ₹40 lakh, on Day One. Dhull came in with a base price of ₹30 lakh.

“As we all know, auction dynamics are such that we don’t usually get everyone that’s on top of your priority list. But I can tell you we had two players at the top of our hitlist: Sandeep Dhull and Fazal Atracheli. I got one of those corners. And that too at a reasonable price,” Hooda said.

Hooda said the Dabang thinktank has been involved in multiple mock auctions ahead of Friday. “We came here on August 3 and have had four long meetings. We created at least four options for every position after trying out various scenarios. Quite happy with the first day, let’s hope it ends according to our plans,” he signed off.