Argha Bhattacharya
Bhubaneswar, July 26: Sportspersons going under the hammer is a common thing now. But for the first time in the state 24 snooker players were up for auction at a city hotel Sunday for the upcoming Snooker Premier League (SPL), which is being sponsored by Mahavir Group of Institutions. Orissa POST had reported about this auction first, a couple of days back.
The first ever SPL auction saw four teams – Blue Hawks, Baize Rulers, Purple Squirrel and Q-ing Saddles tactically using their budget of `20,000 over four players which they bought. While there weren’t major surprises, the low rates of players like veteran Ahsan ul Haque (`2,000) stumped many.
Subrat Das and Rakesh Roshan were the biggest gainers of the day as both having base price of `2,000 were sold for `11,000 each to Purple Squirrel and Q-ing Saddles respectively. “I wasn’t sure about the exact amount which I would get but I always expected a good price. I am totally satisfied and now it’s the time to get down to the drawing board and chalk out the strategies,” said an elated Subrat.
Shyam Agarwal, the owner of Blue Hawks pointed out that the tournament being in its first year will be a low key affair but gradually it will attract sponsors. “I am confident that from next year the number of teams will increase and with it the budget will also get a boost. This would redefine the state of snooker in the state,” stated Agarwal.
However, current state snooker champion Jeet Kishore Das whom all expected to get the highest bid was bought for `9,500 by Blue Hawks. “Bit
disappointed, but that’s part of the game. Had my name come up earlier in the lottery, I probably would have commanded a good price,” said Jeet.
The SPL will be the first time that the players will get a chance to team up with their rivals of the state championships and Rakesh felt that strategising will play a key role. “Having played with all these players, we would have a better idea about their strengths and weaknesses and plan according to that. Each and every frame will be vital because it is a five match rubber, where total number of frames won will matter. So in the next one month we will have sessions with the team and decide the path ahead,” said Rakesh.
The other players who
pocketed good deals were Nishant Biswal (`8,500), Siddharth Sen, (`6,500) and Jiten Sarangi (`6,000). While eight players remained unsold. The tournament will be
conducted September 2nd- 6th.
