Premier Badminton League: Carolina Marin gets the highest bid

Olympic champion Carolina Marin of Spain turned out to be the costliest buy of the second edition of the Premier Badminton League (PBL) while Kidambi Srikanth fetched the highest amount by an Indian at the players auction, in New Delhi on Wednesday. 

Marin was bagged by Hyderabad Hunters for Rs 61.5 lakhs, while Srikanth was bought for Rs 51 lakhs by the Awadhe Warriors. Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu was unlucky to fetch an amount of just Rs 39 lakhs despite being the best Indian iconic player after her performance at the Rio Games. Saina Nehwal, who had fetched one of the highest amount during the first edition, was unsold in the first round of bidding and so she was retained by her previous franchise Awadhe Warriors for a base price of Rs 33 lakhs.

South Korean woman shuttler Sung Ji Hyun emerged as the second costliest player as she went to Mumbai Rockets for Rs 60 lakhs, while Denmark's Jan O'Jorgensen fetched Rs 59 lakhs from defending champions Delhi Acers. Denmark's Viktor Axelsen, the Olympic bronze medallist, was bought for a price of Rs 39 lakhs by Bengaluru Blasters, while Wan Ho Son fetched the same price from the Delhi franchise.