The big three react to their kabaddi bids

The VIVO Pro Kabaddi auction gave fans many moments of joy and even a few moments of heart break as teams shuffled the players around in a bid to get the perfect combination.

Among all the buzz though, there were a few moments of genuine emotion from players who would otherwise choose to express themselves only on the mat. Here we have captured a few such emotions and what being in the one crore club means to these players.

Deepak Hooda - Jaipur Pink Panthers

“I hadn’t expected such a large bid but after Fazel reached one crore I thought I would reach around that mark.

“I have a lot of expectations from myself and I have to up my performance even more.

“There is a lot of responsibility on my shoulders because it is a new season and a new team. After such an intense bidding war for me I think I have to improve my standards now.

“Last season I narrowly missed claiming the trophy and this season, though I can’t assure it, but I will try my hardest to improve my performance and I will leave no stone unturned to get my team through to the final.

“It is a huge opportunity for me to work with Jaipur Pink panthers and my main aim is the VIVO Pro Kabaddi trophy. I am confident that I can do it. I will increase my hours of practise and try to get more maturity into my game.”

Rishank Devadiga – U.P. Yoddha

“It was such an intense auction that I wasn’t able to keep up with what was happening when the teams were bidding for me. But I’m really happy to be playing for the same team I was playing with last season.

“Life has changed so much in the past few years. I never imagined it would take such a turn, and now the teams have even bid in excess of a crore for me. That is a matter of immense pride for me.

“As the game is evolving, the responsibility on the players is increasing as well. After the team has shown so much faith in me and put in such a huge bid, it is my obligation to give more than my hundred percent to the team I am playing for.

I always make it a point to work hard and I will continue to keep working hard at my game.”

Rahul Chaudhari – Telugu Titans

“I never thought the bids for me would go so high. I had expected it will go till about 80 lakh, or maybe even 1 crore but not above that.

“I am glad my old team, Telugu Titans, have retained me. I will keep putting my all into the game like I always have.

“The league is becoming bigger and more money is coming in, but we players have always given a hundred percent and will continue to regardless of the amount of money in the game. With Telugu Titans, we will try and improve on our mistakes from our past season and become a better team this time around.”