Emerging cricketers Anil Kumar Sah and Rohit Kumar Paudel were among the seven national team stars to hit the maximum bid of Rs 250,000 as Queen’s Event Management Pvt Ltd on Sunday held cricketers’ auction for the upcoming Pokhara Premier League (PPL) cricket tournament.

Sah and Paudel are touted to be next generation cricketer  having already played for the senior national team in recent months. Both the cricketers had also impressed in some domestic franchise Twenty20 cricket tournaments to cement their place in the senior side. While Sah is in the national team preparing for the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers Asia (Eastern Region), Paudel is representing Nepal in the ongoing ACC U-19 Asia Cup in Bangladesh.

Sah went to national team skipper Paras Khadka’s Chitwan Rhinos and Paudel will represent Sharad Vesawkar’s Pokhara Paltan. PPL is a city-based franchise Twenty20 cricket tournament scheduled for October 26 to November 6 in Pokhara. Biratnagar Titans, Butwal Blasters, Expert Dhangadhi Blues and Hulas Kathmandu Royals are other four franchises owned by different business houses of the country.

Queen’s Event has already unveiled owners and marquee players. National team skipper Paras Khadka (Rhinos), Gyanendra Malla (Royals), Sharad Vesawkar (Paltan), Sandeep Lamichhane (Titans), Dipendra Singh Airee (Blues) and Sompal Kami (Blasters) are the six marquee players. The marquees are picked up by the franchises and the amount they were roped in for is not disclosed.

Joining Sah and Paudel in the Rs 250,000 club were Sagar Pun, Karan KC, Aarif Sheikh, Binod Bhandari and Basanta Regmi. All five have so far been the most sought after cricketers in the domestic Twenty20 franchise leagues. Rhinos, the top spenders in the auction at Rs 1.49 million, also acquired the services of KC and Sheikh.

All the participating teams carried a total purse amount of Rs 1.3 million and Rhinos, who only had Rs 30,000 with one mandatory purchase still remaining, took the services of former national team spinner Shakti Gauchan for Rs 210,000, the base price that the left arm veteran set for himself. The organisers had given the players to set the base price themselves.

To get Gauchan, Rhinos had to pay a penalty of Rs 52,500. Among the highest earners, Blasters secured the services of Sagar Pun, Royals roped in Regmi and Paltan spent another huge sum to get Bhandari following the buying of Paudel. The national team cricketers were auctioned under capped senior category.

Dilip Nath, who opened the innings for the national team in three international tournaments, and former national team cricketer Pradeep Airee were sold for Rs 240,000. Nath became the most expensive player for Blues and Airee the highest earner in Titans squad. Naresh Budhayer joined Royals for a purse of Rs 230,000 and Sunil Dhamala went to Biratnagar Titans for Rs 220,000.

The biggest surprise was the sale of former national team cricketer Mehboob Alam, who was bought by Paltans for Rs 160,000. An ageing Alam, who is in the twilight of his domestic career as well, was previously left unsold for the Dhangadhi Premier League (DPL). PPL is the third franchise Twenty20 cricket after DPL and Everest Premier League.