NEW DELHI, Nov 26: World champion PV Sindhu was on Tuesday retained by Hyderabad Hunters for Rs 77 lakh in the auction for the fifth season of the Premier Badminton League here.
World number 1 women�s singles player Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei was also bought for joint highest amount of Rs 77 lakh by defending champions Bengaluru Raptors after a bidding war with the Pune 7 Aces.
Another top Indian player B Sai Praneeth was also retained by Benagluru Raptors for Rs 32 lakh.
Among other Indians who were retained by their respective franchises are men�s doubles players B Sumeeth Reddy (Rs 11 lakhs by Chennai Superstarz) and Chirag Shetty (Rs 15.50 lakhs by Pune 7 Aces).
World number 9 American women�s singles player Beiwan Zhang too has been retained by Awadhe Warriors for Rs 39 lakhs.
National badminton coach Pullela Gopichand�s daughter Gayatri Gopichand was picked up by Chennai Superstarz, while young Assamese shuttler Ashmita Chaliha was bought by her home team North Eastern Warriors for Rs 3 lakhs.
The PBL season 5 lost some sheen after London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth pulled out of the event to focus on their international careers.
Seven teams � Awadhe Warriors (Lucknow), Bengaluru Raptors (Bengaluru), Mumbai Rockets (Mumbai), Hyderabad Hunters (Hyderabad), Chennai Superstarz (Chennai), North Eastern Warriors (North East) and Pune 7 Aces (Pune) � will compete in the 21-day event to be played in Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Lucknow. � PTI
