Prior to Season 5 of the TPL, the league signed marquee star Sumit Nagal, the current No. 1 men's singles player in the All-India Tennis Association (AITA).
The eight franchises emerged from the auction in anticipation of the fifth season of the Tennis Premier League (TPL) powered by Clear after putting together strong rosters featuring a mixture of intriguing talent from around the world and Indian players during the event held at the Sahara Star Hotel in Mumbai. As the marquee player and highest bidder at the auction, Sumit Nagal, the current No. 1 men's singles player in the All-India Tennis Association (AITA), was added to the league prior to Season 5 of the TPL.
The Gujarat Panthers, owned by Ramku Patgir, were able to get the services of India's top tennis player for 18.5 lakhs despite fierce competition from rival franchises, all because of Arjun Kapoor, the Panthers' famous ambassador. Additionally, Karman Kaur Thandi, who has won three singles ITF titles, was acquired by the Gujarat Panthers for 8.5 lakhs. In addition, the Panthers signed Mukund Sasikumar, demonstrating their commercial acumen by selecting the promising Indian athlete.
Hyderabad, the defending champions Strikers supported by the elegant Rakul Preet Singh shown remarkable acumen at the auction as they entered the bidding event with a predetermined strategy. Ellen Perez was the most costly pickup for the ENN Sport-owned franchise, costing 14 lakhs. On the WTA Tour, Perez has won five doubles championships, two doubles championships on the WTA Challenger Tour, two singles championships, and 19 doubles championships on the ITF Circuit.
The Australian player will be a great asset to the Hyderabad side as they pursue their third straight TPL championship. They were successful in keeping Nikki Poonacha on board, who was essential to the team's success the previous season. Saketh Myneni, who received the esteemed Arjuna Award in 2017 and plays for India in the Davis Cup, completed the roster for the Strikers.
Indian tennis legend Sania Mirza and team owner Rohan Gupta successfully handled the auction, enabling the Bengaluru SG Mavericks to quickly finish building their lineup for Season 5 of the TPL. Arina Rodionova, a Russian-Australian who became the most expensive female player at the auction, will provide the Bengaluru squad an advantage, particularly in the women's singles category, and they were able to obtain her services for 17.1 lakhs.
For 8.6 lakhs, the Mavericks also acquired Ramkumar Ramanathan in addition to Rodionova. At the current Asian Games in Hangzhou, Ramanathan and Saketh Meyeni won silver for India in the men's doubles competition. Vishnu Vardhan, a true team player who has demonstrated the capacity to adapt in trying circumstances, was added to Bengaluru's squad to complete it. He has consistently been able to put up outstanding performances in the TPL's fast-paced and action-packed format.
Sania Mirza remarked, "We were determined to pick Arina Rodionova in the Season 5 auction, knowing her impressive set of talent and abilities." Sania Mirza was speaking about the Bengaluru SG Mavericks' roster. Additionally, I believe we have a reasonably balanced team in Ramkumar Ramanathan and Vishnu Vardhan, and we are confident in our ability to go all out for the championship this time. In the past four seasons, we have seen how popular tennis has become in India, and I am pleased to see how the Tennis Premier League is progressively developing into a stage for rising talent all over the nation.
The Pune Jaguars, owned by Punit Balan and led by Sonali Bendre as their celebrity spokesperson, displayed excellent decision-making during the auction. While fending off interest from Delhi Binny's Brigade, they managed to capture Lukas Rosol. Tennis player Rutuja Bhosale, formerly the top-ranked Indian in the WTA doubles rankings, was signed by the Jaguars. In 2012, the same year she represented India in the Fed Cup, she also attained her highest junior position in the world, rising to No. 55. The Pune Jaguars brought the final player in the auction, Manish Sureshkumar.
With their ambassador Malaika Arora and owner Sneh Patel present at the auction, Delhi Binny's Brigade also put together an outstanding lineup of players for Season 5 of the TPL. They paid 15.2 lakhs for Dennis Novak, who is now ranked No. 1 in Austria for men's singles and will enter Season 5 of the TPL after making it to Wimbledon for a record-tying third time. They chose Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan, who in March 2019 reached a career-high rating of No. 64. At the 2017 Chennai Open, he and Rohan Bopanna won the doubles championship in an unprecedented final that featured four Indian athletes. Vaidehi Chaudhari was acquired by the Delhi franchise to complete their roster for the most recent league season.
The Punjab Tigers, a team controlled by Raminder Singh and financed by Taapsee Pannu, changed their strategy from the previous year and sought to get Indian talent this time around. However, one of the international stars from last season, Conny Perrin, who was brought in together with two highly sought-after Indian tennis prospects, was the Tigers' most costly pick at the auction. The Punjab Tigers signed Arjun Khade, who has four ITF Futures singles titles, three challenger wins, and seven ITF Futures doubles titles to his credit. The Punjab Tigers made their final purchase at the auction with Digvijay Pratap Singh.
The Mumbai Leon Army, the league's fourth-place finishers from the previous year and supported by the generous Sonu Sood, put together a strong team of athletes for the league's fifth season. Ernest Gulbis, a professional tennis player from Latvia, was their most costly acquisition, costing 14 lakhs. Gulbis has won six ATP championships. His finest Grand Slam performance was making it to the 2014 French Open semifinals.
Sowjanya Bavisetti, whose career-high singles rating by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) of 500 was attained in 2022, joined the Mumbai Leon Army. A career-high WTA doubles ranking of 402 was also attained by her in 2014. Vijay Sundar Prashanth, their final purchase from the auctions, drew everyone's attention when he defeated Indian Davis Cup star Yuki Bhambri in the 2015 Aircel Chennai Open. Prashanth attained an ATP singles ranking high of 335 in 2015. Additionally, he attained a career-high ATP doubles ranking of 107 in 2023.
The Bengal Wizards, the newest team to join the TPL, were well-behaved during the auctions. They are owned by Mr. Yatin Gupte and supported by Indian tennis legend Leander Paes. The Wizards were able to hire Maria Timofeeva for 15.5 lakhs despite fierce competition from Gujarat. The 19-year-old Russian, who has one WTA Tour singles championship and five singles titles and six doubles titles on the ITF Circuit since her debut in 2021, will infuse the Bengal Wizards' games with a tremendous amount of youth.
Sriram Balaji, who has a career-high ATP singles ranking of No. 287 from 2017 and a doubles ranking of No. 84 from 2023, was also added to their roster. Balaji is now a part of the Indian Davis Cup team and has won a total of nine ITF singles wins on the futures circuit, along with 43 doubles ITF Futures and six Challenger doubles titles. Anirudh Chandrasekar, who has won three ATP Challenger doubles titles this year while partnering with fellow TPL star Vijay Sundar Prashanth, was successfully acquired by the Bengal Wizards.
Leander Paes, the brand ambassador for the Bengal Wizards, commented on the make-up of his squad, saying, "We're happy that we were able to pick up the supremely talented Maria Timofeeva, who has been on an alarming rise since the past few years, along with Sriram Balaji and Anirudh Chandrasekar, who come in as valuable additions to our team. With as many as eight international stars making it into the diamond category, this year's auction stood out not just for Bengal Wizards but for the league as a whole. I find it really satisfying to observe how the Tennis Premier League has grown with each passing season. I'm excited to watch the evenly matched teams compete and I hope the best team prevails.
The co-founder of the TPL, Kunal Thakkur, expressed his happiness when speaking about the success of the auctions for Season 5 of the TPL, saying, "We are overwhelmed with the response received for the auction and sincerely thank all the team owners, ambassadors, and the academy heads for coming together to make this event such an emphatic success. Sumit Nagal's record-breaking 18.5 lakh bid from the Gujarat Panthers, which made him the most expensive Indian player ever, is proof of the Tennis Premier League's success over the course of four seasons and the immense potential it possesses. We can't wait to watch the action soon as the auction sets the stage for a fantastic fifth season.
The intense bidding wars and witnessing the most expensive player picks in their respective categories make this auction a very unforgettable one, according to Mrunal Jain, co-founder of TPL. We anticipate delivering another tremendous season of Tennis Premier League and are certain of becoming synonymous with the sport in India with the addition of some of the nation's top tennis players.
In collaboration with the All-India Tennis Association (AITA) and Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA), the TPL gets underway at the majestic Balewadi Stadium in Pune. The Innovative Tennis League will take place from December 12 through December 17, 2023.
