Tennis Stars Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, and Sania Mirza Shine at TPL Season 6 Auctions
The Tennis Premier League (TPL) Season 6 auctions took place in Mumbai, featuring tennis legends Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, and Sania Mirza, who reunited to promote the sport. Bollywood celebrities Rakul Preet Singh and Sonali Bendre also attended the event.
Eight franchises participated in the auctions, fiercely bidding for top players. The Punjab Patriots, owned by Priyesh Jain and backed by Taapsee Pannu, secured the highest bid for 22-year-old Armenian star Elina Avanesyan at Rs 42.20 lakh. They also acquired Arjun Kadhe and Mukund Sasikumar.
The defending champions, Bengaluru SG Pipers, bought Australian Max Purcell for Rs 42 lakh and added Olympian Ankita Raina and doubles specialist Anirudh Chandrasekar to their squad.
The Bengal Wizards, backed by Sania Mirza, formed a strong team by acquiring Croatian star Petra Matric and veteran Sriram Balaji. They also added Niki Poonacha to their roster.
Gujarat Panthers made strategic moves by buying Sumit Nagal and AITA ranked No. 1 female player Sahaja Yamalapalli. They also secured doubles specialist Vijay Sundar.
Yash Mumbai Eagles spent heavily on Romanian star Jaqueline Cristian and doubles title winner Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan. They also added Karan Singh to their team.
Shrachi Delhi Rarh Tigers, backed by Leander Paes, secured Indian veteran Rohan Bopanna and Belarus’ Iryna Shymanovich. They closed their squad with Tunisian player Aziz Dougaz.
The new franchise, Chennai Smashers, backed by Sonali Bendre, made smart buys including French youngster Hugo Gaston and Swiss veteran Conny Perrin.
TPL co-founders Kunal Thakkur and Mrunal Jain expressed their happiness over the successful auctions and the presence of tennis legends. The TPL will run from December 3 to December 8, 2024, at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai.
Doubts Revealed
Leander Paes -: Leander Paes is a famous Indian tennis player who has won many international tournaments, including the Olympics.
Mahesh Bhupathi -: Mahesh Bhupathi is another well-known Indian tennis player who has won many doubles titles with Leander Paes.
Sania Mirza -: Sania Mirza is a famous Indian female tennis player who has won many international titles and is very popular in India.
TPL -: TPL stands for Tennis Premier League, a tournament where teams compete in tennis matches.
Auctions -: Auctions are events where people bid money to buy something, in this case, to get the best tennis players for their teams.
Mumbai -: Mumbai is a big city in India, known for being the financial capital and home to Bollywood.
Franchises -: Franchises are teams that are owned by different people or companies and compete in the league.
Elina Avanesyan -: Elina Avanesyan is a professional tennis player from Russia.
Max Purcell -: Max Purcell is a professional tennis player from Australia.
Bollywood -: Bollywood is the Indian film industry, known for making many popular movies.
Rakul Preet Singh -: Rakul Preet Singh is a famous Indian actress who works in Bollywood movies.
Sonali Bendre -: Sonali Bendre is another well-known Indian actress who has acted in many Bollywood films.
Cricket Club of India -: The Cricket Club of India is a famous sports club in Mumbai where many sports events are held.