PKL 13 Auction Purse 2026: Remaining Money for All 12 Teams
The PKL 13 auction purse is the single number that decides how aggressive each franchise can be when bidding opens for Season 13. A team with a large remaining purse can chase the biggest raiders and defenders, while a team that spent heavily on retentions may have to shop for value in the lower categories. This guide explains how the purse works, how retentions reduce it, what the Season 12 figures looked like, and how to read each team’s remaining money once the official numbers are released.
PKL 13 Auction Purse: Quick Facts
| Detail | Current Status |
|---|---|
| Season 13 total purse per team | Awaiting official confirmation |
| Season 12 total purse per team | INR 5 crore |
| Season 12 base price, Category A | INR 30 lakh |
| Season 12 base price, Category B | INR 20 lakh |
| Season 12 base price, Category C | INR 13 lakh |
| Season 12 base price, Category D | INR 9 lakh |
| Season 13 auction dates | Reported for October 18 to 25, 2026, not officially confirmed |
| Season 12 highest bid | INR 2.23 crore (Mohammadreza Shadloui, Gujarat Giants) |
What Is the PKL 13 Auction Purse?
The auction purse is the total salary budget each franchise can spend on its squad for a season. In Season 12, the league set this at INR 5 crore per team. That figure covers the whole roster, not just the players bought at the auction. Retained players, young players, and auction signings all have to fit inside it.
Because every franchise starts with the same total, the purse is what keeps the league competitive. No team can simply outspend the others over a full squad. Instead, each franchise has to decide where to invest: in one or two marquee stars, in a deep and balanced roster, or in young players who may grow into stars.
Total Purse vs Remaining Purse
Fans often confuse two different numbers. The total purse is the full budget. The remaining purse is what is left after retentions. The PKL 13 auction purse that matters on auction day is the remaining figure, because that is the money each team can actually spend on new players.
| Term | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Total purse | The full salary budget for the entire squad (INR 5 crore in Season 12) |
| Retention spend | Money committed to players kept before the auction |
| Remaining purse | Total purse minus retention spend, available on auction day |
How Retentions Reduce the PKL 13 Auction Purse
Every retained player comes with a salary, and that salary is deducted from the total purse before the auction begins. This is why the retention announcement and the purse announcement are closely linked. Once you know who each team has kept, you can start to understand how much money it has left. Our PKL Season 13 auction guide explains the full auction process around this.
A Simple Worked Example
The example below is purely illustrative. It uses round numbers to show how the calculation works and does not represent any real team.
| Step | Illustrative Amount |
|---|---|
| Total purse | INR 5.00 crore |
| Minus one senior retained player | INR 0.80 crore |
| Minus young players kept on existing deals | INR 0.60 crore |
| Remaining purse for the auction | INR 3.60 crore |
In this example, the team could still afford one marquee player priced around INR 2 crore, but it would then have to fill the rest of its squad with players closer to the base prices. That trade-off is at the heart of every auction strategy.
Why Some Teams Keep Big Purses
Franchises that finished low in the table, or that want a new direction under a new coach, often release more players on purpose. This gives them a large PKL 13 auction purse and the freedom to rebuild. The risk is that they lose players who already understand the team’s system.
Why Some Teams Accept Smaller Purses
Successful teams often prefer continuity. Keeping a proven core means arriving at the auction with less money, but also with fewer holes to fill. A team that only needs two or three specific players does not need the biggest purse in the room.
PKL 13 Auction Purse: Team-by-Team Tracker
This table will show each franchise’s remaining purse as soon as official figures are published. Teams with a bigger remaining purse are the ones most likely to drive up prices for top players.
| Team | Players Retained | Retention Spend | Remaining Purse | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengal Warriorz | TBA | TBA | TBA | Awaiting official figures |
| Bengaluru Bulls | TBA | TBA | TBA | Awaiting official figures |
| Dabang Delhi K.C. | TBA | TBA | TBA | Awaiting official figures |
| Gujarat Giants | TBA | TBA | TBA | Awaiting official figures |
| Haryana Steelers | TBA | TBA | TBA | Awaiting official figures |
| Jaipur Pink Panthers | TBA | TBA | TBA | Awaiting official figures |
| Patna Pirates | TBA | TBA | TBA | Awaiting official figures |
| Puneri Paltan | TBA | TBA | TBA | Awaiting official figures |
| Tamil Thalaivas | TBA | TBA | TBA | Awaiting official figures |
| Telugu Titans | TBA | TBA | TBA | Awaiting official figures |
| U Mumba | TBA | TBA | TBA | Awaiting official figures |
| UP Yoddhas | TBA | TBA | TBA | Awaiting official figures |
Teams With Known Commitments
Two Season 13 salary commitments are already known from the Season 12 auction, because both players were signed through two-season Final Bid Match deals. These will count against their teams’ Season 13 budgets.
| Team | Player | Deal | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dabang Delhi K.C. | Ashu Malik (Raider) | FBM, two seasons | INR 1.90 crore |
| Patna Pirates | Deepak Singh (Right Cover) | FBM, two seasons | INR 86 lakh |
If the Season 13 total purse stays at the Season 12 level of INR 5 crore, Ashu Malik’s contract alone would take up a large share of Delhi’s budget before any other retention. That makes Delhi’s remaining PKL 13 auction purse one of the most interesting numbers to watch, because the champions will have to build around a big commitment.
PKL 13 Auction Purse and Base Prices by Category
Players in the auction pool are divided into categories, and each category has a base price, which is the minimum opening bid. Within each category, players are further classified as raiders, defenders, or all-rounders. The Season 12 base prices are below. The Season 13 figures will be confirmed with the official auction announcement.
| Category | Season 12 Base Price | Typical Players |
|---|---|---|
| Category A | INR 30 lakh | Top established stars |
| Category B | INR 20 lakh | Proven regular starters |
| Category C | INR 13 lakh | Squad players and emerging talent |
| Category D | INR 9 lakh | Newer and less-proven players |
Base prices matter for PKL 13 auction purse planning because they set the floor. A team that needs to fill many slots has to keep enough money back to at least cover the base prices of the players it needs, even if it spends big on one star.
How Big Bids Shape the PKL 13 Auction Purse
The top of the auction has become more expensive each year. Looking at the biggest bids from recent seasons shows how much of a team’s purse a single star can take.
| Season | Player | Team | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 11 | Sachin Tanwar | Tamil Thalaivas | INR 2.15 crore |
| Season 11 | Mohammadreza Shadloui | Haryana Steelers | INR 2.07 crore |
| Season 12 | Mohammadreza Shadloui | Gujarat Giants | INR 2.23 crore |
| Season 12 | Devank Dalal | Bengal Warriorz | INR 2.205 crore |
| Season 12 | Ashu Malik | Dabang Delhi K.C. (FBM) | INR 1.90 crore |
A single INR 2 crore signing uses around 40 percent of a INR 5 crore purse. That is why only a few teams can afford a marquee star each year, and why those teams usually have to fill the rest of their squads carefully. For a full ranking of the league’s biggest deals, see our list of the highest-paid PKL players.
Season 12: A Record Spending Year
Season 12 set a new record when 10 players crossed the INR 1 crore mark, the most in PKL history. In total, 529 players went under the hammer and 121 were sold. Those numbers show both how much money franchises were willing to spend at the top and how selective they were overall.
Team Purse Strategies to Watch in Season 13
Every franchise will approach the PKL 13 auction purse differently, depending on its results and retentions. Here are the broad strategic questions for each team, based on their Season 12 results and known commitments.
Teams Likely to Protect Their Core
Puneri Paltan (table-toppers and finalists), Dabang Delhi K.C. (champions), Bengaluru Bulls (third, best score difference at +97), and Telugu Titans (reached Qualifier 2) all performed well enough to justify keeping their key players. These teams may arrive with a smaller PKL 13 auction purse but fewer gaps to fill.
Teams That May Want Purse Flexibility
Bengal Warriorz (12th), Gujarat Giants (11th), Tamil Thalaivas (10th), and UP Yoddhas (9th) all missed the postseason. Teams in this position often release more players to grow their PKL 13 auction purse. Gujarat, which also has a new head coach in Randhir Singh Sehrawat, is a good example. You can review how Gujarat’s roster is currently built in our Gujarat Giants squad guide.
Teams in the Middle
Haryana Steelers, U Mumba, Patna Pirates, and Jaipur Pink Panthers all reached the Season 12 postseason but did not reach the Final. Their purse strategy may be the hardest to predict, because they have reasons both to keep their cores and to make targeted changes.
PKL 13 Auction Purse and the Final Bid Match Card
The Final Bid Match card has a direct effect on how teams plan their PKL 13 auction purse. When a franchise releases a player and still holds an FBM card, it can let the auction set the player’s price and then match the winning bid. This lets a team avoid paying a retention salary upfront while keeping the option to bring the player back.
The strategy has a cost, though. If bidding goes much higher than expected, the franchise has to decide on the spot whether matching the bid is worth the purse space it will use. In Season 12, Dabang Delhi K.C. decided that Ashu Malik was worth INR 1.90 crore and matched the bid for two seasons. Patna Pirates did the same for Deepak Singh at INR 86 lakh.
One-Season vs Two-Season FBM
At the Season 12 auction, the FBM card could be used for one season or two. A two-season FBM gives a team certainty, but it also commits part of the next season’s budget in advance. A one-season FBM keeps future purse flexibility but means the player returns to the pool a year later. Bengal Warriorz used one-season FBM cards on defenders Nitesh Kumar and Mayur Jagannath Kadam, so those players do not count against Bengal’s Season 13 budget unless the team retains them again.
Common PKL 13 Auction Purse Mistakes Teams Try to Avoid
Auction history shows a few recurring mistakes that franchises work hard to avoid when managing their purse.
Mistake 1: Spending Too Much Too Early
The biggest names usually go under the hammer first. A team that spends most of its PKL 13 auction purse in the first hour may find it cannot compete later for the defenders or all-rounders it still needs.
Mistake 2: Ignoring Squad Balance
Buying several star raiders can look exciting, but a team without reliable corner defenders often struggles across a full league stage. Purse planning has to cover every role.
Mistake 3: Forgetting the Minimum Squad Size
Every franchise must fill a full squad. Even the cheapest players cost at least the base price of their category, so a team has to keep enough money back to complete its roster.
Mistake 4: Overpaying in Bidding Wars
Rival franchises sometimes push prices up to drain an opponent’s purse. Experienced auction teams set a maximum price for each target in advance and stick to it.
Why the PKL 13 Auction Purse Matters to Fans
For fans, the remaining purse is the best early guide to which teams will make headlines on auction day. A franchise with the largest PKL 13 auction purse is the most likely to sign the auction’s most expensive player. A franchise with a small purse but a strong retained core may quietly build a balanced squad without big-money signings. Comparing these numbers before the auction is the simplest way to make informed predictions about how Season 13 squads will look.
How to Read the Official PKL 13 Auction Purse Announcement
When the league publishes the Season 13 purse figures, use this quick checklist to understand what each number means:
- Check the total purse. See whether it has stayed at INR 5 crore or changed for Season 13.
- Compare remaining purses. Rank the teams from largest to smallest remaining purse. The top three or four are the ones most likely to win bidding wars.
- Count open slots. A team with a big purse but many open slots may still have to spread its money thinly.
- Look for FBM cards. Teams that still hold FBM cards can match bids for their former players, which can change the auction’s outcome.
- Check the overseas situation. Teams that need overseas players have to set aside money for them.
The official figures will be published on prokabaddi.com and the league’s social media channels before the auction begins.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the PKL 13 auction purse per team?
The official Season 13 figure has not been confirmed yet. In Season 12, each franchise had a total salary purse of INR 5 crore for its full squad.
Does the purse include retained players?
Yes. The total purse covers the whole squad. The salaries of retained players are deducted first, and the remaining amount is what the team can spend at the auction.
What were the base prices in the last auction?
In Season 12, the base prices were INR 30 lakh for Category A, INR 20 lakh for Category B, INR 13 lakh for Category C, and INR 9 lakh for Category D.
Which team will have the biggest PKL 13 auction purse?
This will only be known once the official retention list and purse figures are released. Teams that release more players, often those that finished lower in the table, usually arrive with bigger remaining purses.
What was the highest bid in PKL history so far?
The highest bid at the Season 12 auction was INR 2.23 crore for Mohammadreza Shadloui by Gujarat Giants. He became the first player to cross INR 2 crore in three straight seasons.
When will the remaining purse figures be announced?
They are usually published alongside or shortly after the official retention list, before the auction. The Season 13 auction is reported for October 18 to 25, 2026, but the date is not yet officially confirmed.
Is the PKL 13 auction purse the same for every team?
Every franchise starts with the same total purse, which was INR 5 crore each in Season 12. The remaining purse on auction day is different for each team, because it depends on how much each franchise spent on retentions and existing contracts.
Can a team spend more than its purse?
No. The purse works as a salary cap for the whole squad. Once a team’s remaining money runs low, it can only bid on players it can still afford while leaving enough to complete its roster at base prices.
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