Sujeet Kalkal shines in Round 2 of PWL 2026 auction with highest bid of ₹52 lakhs from Delhi Dangal Warriors

Sujeet Kalkal. 

Rakesh Thapliyal

New Delhi: India’s U23 World Champion Sujeet Kalkal emerged as the standout name in the Category A round of the Pro Wrestling League (PWL) 2026 players auction, after being secured by Delhi Dangal Warriors for ₹52 lakhs. Delhi Dangal Warriors were among the most active teams in this round, further adding Iran’s Hadi Vafaeipour in the men’s 86 kg category for ₹26 lakhs, along with Mexico’s Karla Acosta in the women’s 57 kg division.

Haryana Thunders, meanwhile, made a major statement in women’s wrestling by acquiring Olympic medalist Iryna Koliadenko for ₹44 lakhs in the women’s 62 kg category, in addition to Azerbaijan’s Ashirov Ashraf in men’s 86 kg.

Maharashtra Kesari focused on depth and balance, securing Asian Games medallist Deepak Punia in the men’s 86 kg category and Manisha Bhanvala in women’s 57 kg. Punjab Royals signed Dinesh Gulia (₹36 lakhs), Priya Malik (₹29 lakhs), and Roksana Zasina across multiple weight categories.

UP Dominators added to their roster with Nisha Dahiya in women’s 62 kg at the base price and Rahul Dalal in men’s 57 kg, while Tigers of Mumbai Dangal did not register any picks in this round.

The auction process remains ongoing. Wrestlers have been classified into four categories A+ (Marquee), A, B, and C — with base prices set at ₹18 lakh, ₹12 lakh, ₹8 lakh, and ₹3 lakh respectively. The league is operating with a total purse of ₹12 crore, with each of the six franchises allocated ₹2 crore to build squads competing across nine weight categories — five men’s and four women’s.

Each team must assemble a squad of nine to twelve wrestlers, including four overseas athletes (two men and two women), while mandatorily featuring at least one Category C wrestler. With further bidding rounds still to come, franchises are expected to continue fine-tuning their rosters as the PWL 2026 auction progresses.