Mumbai TT player Diya Chitale is top draw at MSL auction

Mumbai-based young paddler Diya Chitale proved to be the biggest draw in the 11SPORTS' Mumbai Super League (MSL) auction, becoming the highest bid player at the NSCI here Tuesday.

The Under-18 India TT player was picked by Ping Panthers for Rs 38,000, cornering almost half the purse available to her franchise, a media release said here.

The prestigious championship had a pool of 90 players in various categories, including men, women, junior boys, junior girls, cadet boys and veterans, and each of the 10 franchises had a purse of Rs 1,05,000 to build their team.

Sixteen-year-old Diya, who has had a stellar year at the international level, emerged as the most valuable player in the exciting auction.

King Pong were not too far behind, bagging experienced Madhurika Patkar.

Last years champions Blazing Bashers, too, opted for youngsters, going for young Raegan Albuquerque (World No. 57; U-18 Boys).

The other top picks during the auction were: Siddhesh Pande (Rs 35,000; Supreme Fighters), Deepit Patil (Rs 31,500; West Coast Rangers), Divya Deshpande (Rs 30,500; Century Warriors), Ravindra Kotyan (Rs 29,000; Phantom Stars) and Sanil Shetty (Rs 28,500; The Topspinners).

The 10 franchises ACE, Blazing Bashers, Century Warriors, King Pong, Kool Smashers, Phantom Stars, Ping Panthers, Supreme Fighters, The Topspinners, West Coast Rangers are drawn in two groups of five teams each.

The two toppers from each group after a league phase will play the semi-finals, the release said.