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Denish Das emerged as the most expensive buy during the marquee player round of the Assam Premier League (APL) Player Auction, with Barpeta Braves securing his services for Rs 12.60 lakh following an exciting round of bidding in Guwahati on Sunday.
Sumit Ghadigaonkar was the second-highest buy among the marquee players, joining Charaideo Sunrisers for Rs 12.20 lakh, while experienced Assam batter Sibsankar Roy was acquired by Barak Legends for Rs 12 lakh, according to a press release from ACA. Ayushman Malakar and Swarupam Purkayastha completed the top five marquee buys, with Tezpur Titans and Jorhat Stallions securing them respectively for Rs 11.80 lakh each. The marquee player round saw the franchises compete for some of Assam's leading domestic cricketers as they began assembling their squads for the upcoming edition of the Assam Premier League. Among the other notable acquisitions from the marquee player pool, Barak Legends added Abdul Ajij Kuraishi for Rs 8.40 lakh and Bhargab Lakhar for Rs 5.20 lakh. Barpeta Braves secured Saurav Dihingia for Rs 7.80 lakh, while Dibrugarh Warriors added Saahil Jain for Rs 7.20 lakh and Jitumoni Kalita for Rs 6.20 lakh. With the marquee player round setting the tone for the day, the Assam Premier League Player Auction will continue with franchises looking to build balanced squads from the wider pool of players going under the hammer. Taranga Gogoi, President, Assam Cricket Association, has expressed hope that, when the tournament starts on 1 August, fans across the state will embrace it as their own, making the inaugural season a memorable milestone for Assam cricket. Ahead of the auction, Gogoi had said, "The auction on 19 July is the day this league becomes real for our players. Cricketers from every district of Assam have put their names forward, and in a week they will know which of the eight teams they will represent. When the first match is played on 1st August, we want every fan in the state to feel that this league belongs to them. Assam has waited a long time for a platform of its own, and we intend to make the first season one to remember." Saahil Jain, Pradyun Saikia and Saurav Mousum Dihingia add depth to the batting pool, Abdul Ajij Kuraishi, Akash Sengupta and Ayushman Malakar bring all-round strength, and Sumit Ghadigaonkar, Rohit Sen and Ruhinandan Pegu are the wicketkeeping choices. All 20 have played BCCI tournaments for Assam and are expected to draw the strongest bidding when the eight franchises build their squads for the inaugural season, which gets underway on August 1. (ANI)
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