HIL auction: How the teams bid

The third edition of the Hockey India League auction saw young Indian players in demand and for players like Akashdeep Singh, Gurmail Singh and Mandeep Singh, franchises went for broke. However, it was the Germans who lead the list of foreign players with Moritz Fuerste bagging a tournament record of $105,000 followed by teammates Florain Fuchs and Tobias Huake, who went for $96,000 each.
As it happened:HIL auction
While it was widely known that the forwards would garner big amounts due to the new rule changes, it was surprising to see veterans like Sardar Singh and Jamie Dwyer flying under the radar.
List of sold players in HIL auction
Times of India Sports analyses how each of the six franchises fared during the HIL auction 2015.
DabangMumbai

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Coming in to the auction with a purse of $563,000 – the biggest among the six franchises - it was expected from the Viren Rasquina-mentored team to be the most active franchise at the auction. After retaining just three players, Mumbai had to buy 17 players and they went all out for German midfielder Florian Fuchs early on Friday and then ended the day with a bang by claiming Indian international Gurmail Singh for $81,000.
They came in with the aim of taking not just the best, but world class goal-scorers and in Fuchs and Nikkin Thimmaiah ($67,000) they had their wish granted. They added the experience of midfielders Mathew Swann ($75,000), Kieran Govers ($36,000) and Danish Mujtaba ($54,000) to the squad. They retained their Irish goalkeeper David Harte and have managed to give him the defense of Gurmail to go with Jermay Hayward (retained) and Harmanpreet Singh (retained).
Squad
Goalkeepers: Krishan B Pathak -2,600, David Harte - 65,000 (Retained), Xavi Trenchs - $10,000
Defenders: Harmanpreet Singh - $51,000 (retained), Gurmail Singh - 81,000, Jeremy Hayward - $46,000 (Retained), Shea McAleese - $10,000
Midfielders: S H Nilakanta Sharma - $2,600, Danish Mujtaba - $54,000, Vikas Sharma - $43,000, Tyron Pereira - $6,000, Manpreet - $2,600, Kieran Govers - $36,000, Matthew Swann - $75,000
Forwards: Roshan Minz - $6,000, Affan Yousuf- $53,000 Nikkin Thimmaiah - $67,000, Gurjant Singh- $2,600, Florian Fuchs - $96,000, Johan Björkman - $10,000
UttarPradesh Wizards

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If you want to know what the expression 'cutting it too close' means, just look at how UP Wizards played their cards at the auction. Coming into the auctions with five retentions, UP trail-blazed their way in the early rounds and snapped up an impressive list of players to have just $100 unused. Such was the bidding of the Dhanraj Pillay and Roelant Oltmans-led team that even Hockey India President Narendra Batra had to intervene and tell them to go slow.
But Wizards had their strategy in place, and after retaining their core team in VR Raghunath, P Sreejesh, Ramandeep Singh and Edward Ockenden, they grabbed the likes of Tobias Hauke, the 2013 FIH World Player of the year for $96,000, Akashdeep Singh for $84,000 – highest for an Indian player this year - and Chinglensana Singh for $62,000. But their biggest buy was hockey legend and Aussie international Jamie Dwyer - that too at a bargain value of $57,000.
Squad
Goalkeepers: PR Sreejesh - $60,000 (Retained), Suraj Karkera - $5,500
Defenders: VR Raghunath - $53,000 (Retained), Gurinder Singh- $48,000, Sunil Yadav - $2,600, Wouter Jolie - 48,000 (Retained), Gonzalo Peillat - $25,000
Midfielders: Chinglensana Singh - $62,000, Vikas Vishnu Pillay - $6,000, Edward Ockenden - $66,000 (Retained), Tobias Hauke - $96,000, Nicholas Spooner - $5,000
Forwards: Ramandeep Singh - $57,000 (Retained), Akashdeep Singh - $84,000, P R Aiyapa - $2,600, Jaskaran Singh - $2,600, M Gunasekar - $2,600, Jamie Dwyer - $57,000, Kenny Bain - $17,000, Agustin Mazilli - $25,000
Delhi Waveriders

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Letting go of Sardar Singh and Rupinder Pal Singh ahead of the auction was a surprise move from the former HIL champions. But their plan at the auction was to find the right balance for their team. By retaining big names like Simon Child and Tristan White and young Yuvraj Walmiki, Delhi gave themselves room to fill their squad with the international expertise of South African Austin Smith ($59,000) and Benjamin Stanzl ($35,000), to go with the top Indian players by buying back drag-flick specialist Rupinder ($68,000) and the man with an eye for goal - Mandeep Singh ($70,000). They also acquired India's second best goalkeeper in Harjot Singh.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Harjot Singh - $20,000, Devon Manchester - $27,000
Defenders: Surender Kumar - $22,000 (Retained), Rupinder Pal Singh - $68,000, Vickram Kanth - $52,000, Amit Gowda -$10,000, Steven Edwards - $34,000 (Retained), Iain Lewers- $18,000, Justin Reid-Ross - $25,000
Midfielders: Santa Singh - $21,000, Harjeet Singh - $6,000, Tristan White - $40,000 (Retained), Austin Smith - $59,000, Banjamin Stanzl - $35,000,
Forwards: Talwinder Singh - $25,000 (Retained), Yuvraj Walmiki - $40,000 (Retained), Parvinder Singh - $29,000, Mandeep Singh - $70,000, Prabhdeep Singh - $7,500, Simon Child - $50,000
Ranchi Rays

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Defending champions Ranchi Rays had retained six players from their last squad and they played their cards smartly by snapping up young players at bargain value. With Manpreet Singh, Birendra Lakra and Kothajith Singh retained, their Indian start cast was set and they added drag-flick specialist Sandeep Singh into the mix at a whopping $81,000.
Until Sandeep's bid, Ranchi had been laying low and building their squad in a systematic manner. They managed to buy a host of young talents in Vikramjit Singh ($4,500), Akash Chikte ($4,500), Imran Khan ($7,000) and Simarjeet Singh ($8,000) to compliment the powerhouse duo of retained Barry Middleton and charismatic skipper Ashley Jackson. They also bought Australians Timothy Deavin ($29,000) and Tyler Lovell ($30,000)
Squad
Goalkeepers: Akash Chikte - $4,500, Tyler Lovell - $30,000
Defenders: Birendra Lakra - $55,000, Kothajit Singh - $45,000 (Retained), Sandeep Singh - $81,000, Fergus Kavanagh - $60,000, Trent Mitton - $20,000
Midfielders: Manpreet Singh - $66,000 (Retained), Vikramjit Singh - $4,500, Imran Khan- $7,000, Simranjeet Singh - $8,000, Sumit - $17,000, Ashley Jackson - 95,000 (Retained), Timothy Deavin - $29,000
Forwards: Sumit Kumar - $15,000, Sarvanjit Singh - $6,000, Mohd Amir Khan - $10,500, Barry Middleton - 67,000 (Retained), Flynn Ogilvie - $10,000, Daniel Beale - $26,000
Kalinga Lancers

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Kalinga Lancers came in to the auction with five retentions and the second biggest purse among the franchises and they pulled of a heist to bag the best player in the world today, Germany's Moritz Fuerste, for a record $105,000. But Fuerste's buy early in the day forced Kalinga to take a step back for most part of the auction and even though they bid actively for the many players, they opted out of going higher and eventually ended with Dharamvir Singh as their costliest Indian at $60,000.
They then shelled out $54,000 for SK Uthappa and the combination of Fuerste, Uthappa, Indian internationals Lalit Upadhyay (retained) and Australia's Glenn Turner will be the ones to watch out for in the next edition of HIL.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Abhinav Kumar Pandey - $2,600, Andrew Charter - $40,000
Defenders: Gurjinder Singh - $50,000 (Retained), Anand Lakra - $8,000, Amit Rohidas - $31,000, Dipsan Tirkey - $31,000, Pardeep Mor - $37,000
Midfielders: Dharamvir Singh - $60,000, S.K Uthappa - $54,000, Aran Zalewski - $50,000 (Retained), Moritz Fuerste - $1,05,000, Matthew Willis - $15,000
Forwards: Devindar Walmiki - $30,000 (Retained), Lalit Upadhyay - $35,000 (Retained), Stanli Victor Minz - $8,500, Malak Singh - $24,000, Glenn Turner - $30,000, Matthew Dawson - $21,000, Adam Dixon - $15,000, Quirijn Caspers - $15,000
Jaypee Punjab Warriors

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Last year's finalists made their auction process the easiest by retaining their core team in SV Sunil, Chris Ciriello, Mark Knowles, Jacob Whetton and Satbir Singh and went to add names like Simon Orchard ($58,000), Nicolas Jackobi ($27,000), Mark Gohdes ($71,000), Gurwinder Singh Chandi ($75,000), Jasjit Singh Khular ($65,000) and Sardar Singh ($58,000).
If this team doesn't pack a punch in the next edition of HIL, no team will. Punjab Warriors were methodical all throughout the auctions and once they snapped up bargain purchase Sardar early in the day, they waited and went for a final flourish to bag the big guys from the evening lot. They managed to buy them all to make a team that is clearly the favourites going in to the next season.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Jugraj Singh - $4,500, Nicolas Jacobi - $27,000
Defenders: Varun Kumar - $10,000 (Retained), Chris Ciriello - $42,500, Mark Knowles - $65,000
Midfielders: Sardar Singh - $58,000, Baljeet Singh Boparai - $6,000, Aiyappa Mukkatira Biddappa - $7,000, Simon Orchard - $58,000, Nick Haig - $10,000, Mark Gleghorne - $20,000
Forwards: SV Sunil - $50,000 (Retained), Satbir Singh - $45,000 (Retained), Jasjit Singh Khular - $65,000, Armaan Qureshi - $4,500, Gurwinder Singh Chandi - $75,000, Nithin Thimmaiah - $14,000, Jacob Whetton - $40,000, Matt Gohdes - $71,000
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