Paes, Bhupathi, Mirza bid big at Tennis Premier League Season 7 auction

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 9 (ANI): The Tennis Premier League (TPL), powered by Clear Premium Water, conducted its Season 7 Player Auction on October 9 in Mumbai, with tennis legends Leander Paes, Sania Mirza, and Mahesh Bhupathi in attendance alongside league Co-Founders Kunal Thakkur and Mrunal Jain.
The auction witnessed intense bidding as franchises competed to assemble their squads ahead of the season, scheduled from December 9 to 14, 2025, at the Gujarat University Tennis Stadium in Ahmedabad, according to a TPL release.
Paes expressed pride in inaugurating Season 7 of the Tennis Premier League, highlighting the league's resilience through the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I am really proud of inaugurating Season 7 of Tennis Premier League. It has been a long journey. It has been a wonderful journey, especially over the past few years, as we had to fight through COVID to ensure that we didn't lose a year. We still kept our players safe and our owners safe. Still made sure that all our fans came out and enjoyed the Tennis Premier League. This marks the 7th consecutive year. Where under one roof, you have got 50-plus Grand Slam wins. You have more than 12 Olympic participations. And you have got world champions in the room. It is just a real treat."
Mahesh Bhupathi believes the Tennis Premier League (TPL) is positively impacting Indian tennis by providing a much-needed ecosystem, partnering with academies, and organising tournaments. He praised the league for attracting top players, which will help drive growth and improve the sport in India.
"I think from an Indian tennis perspective, it is nice. I think the TPL are doing a lot behind the scenes for the tennis ecosystem. Tying up with academies, running tournaments. Which, again, we don't have a system in our country. So they are trying to provide for that ecosystem. This is a very big positive for tennis. The quality of the icon players is very good. I mean, there are a lot of top 30, top 40, top 50 players which we have never seen before. So I think the league is on the right path of growth, " Mahesh Bhupathi said.
Sania Mirza praised the growth of the Tennis Premier League (TPL), highlighting its role in creating a strong belief system in Indian tennis and potentially nurturing future champions.
"It is not a joke to have an international tournament growing. To the extent that this has grown from where it started in 2018. I have been fortunate enough to be part of it for the last few years. And I do feel that it is tournaments like this, leagues like this, that really create a belief system within the system that we have. To be able to create our own very champions as well, " Sania Mirza said.
SG Pipers Bengaluru, led by Indian doubles legend Rohan Bopanna, acquired Shrivalli Bhamidipati, India's No. 2 singles player, who is at the top of her form, having recently won the Billie Jean King Cup Asia/Oceania Group 1 for India, for INR 8.60 lakh. The team also secured 30-year-old Ramkumar Ramanathan for INR 7.20 lakh, combining seasoned experience with emerging talent.
Defending champions Hyderabad Strikers, led by Arthur Rinderknech (World No. 54), engaged in a competitive bidding war to secure French youngster Carole Monnet (World No. 205) for INR 10.60 lakh. They also welcomed back their doubles star from last season, Vishnu Vardhan, for INR 6 lakh.
GS Delhi Aces, led by marquee player Tomas Martin Etcheverry, currently ranked World No. 58, secured Belgium's Sofia Costoulas (World No. 168) for INR 11 lakh after a tense bidding war against Gujarat Panthers and Hyderabad Strikers. The franchise also added doubles specialist Jeevan Neduncheziyan (INR 6 lakh), strengthening both their singles and doubles lineup.
Gurgaon Grand Slammers, led by Corentin Moutet (World No. 38), added Nuria Parrizas Diaz, an experienced singles player with a career-high ranking of 45 in 2022, for INR 6 lakh. The highlight of their auction day was the acquisition of Sriram Balaji (World No. 78 in doubles) for INR 12 lakh, the highest permissible bid, making him the joint-costliest player of the auction.
Chennai Smashers, with Czech star Dalibor Svrcina (World No. 91) as their marquee player, secured Irina Bara (INR 6 lakh) and made a big move to acquire doubles specialist Rithvik Bollipalli, ranked 71 in the world, for INR 12 lakh, matching the top bid of the day and adding a rising doubles star to their roster.
Yash Mumbai Eagles, anchored by Bosnia's Damir Dzhumhur, former World No. 23, and currently 67, acquired Mariam Bolkvadze (INR 6 lakh) and Niki Poonacha (INR 6 lakh), to set up a balanced squad for the seventh season.
Gujarat Panthers, with marquee player Alexandre Muller (World No. 39), acquired Nuria Brancaccio for INR 10 lakh after a spirited bidding contest. They also secured Anirudh Chandrasekhar, currently enjoying his career-high ranking of 87 in doubles, for INR 7 lakh, thereby strengthening their doubles options.
Rajasthan Rangers, anchored by Luciano Darderi (World No. 29), the highest-ranked player of TPL Season 7, picked up Anastasia Gasanova (INR 6 lakh) at the base price and secured 25-year-old Dhakshineswar Suresh for INR 7.50 lakh after jumping the bid.
With the top bids of the night going to doubles specialists Sriram Balaji and Rithvik Bollipalli (INR 12 lakh each), the league has highlighted the premium on experienced doubles talent in shaping competitive squads this season, the release said. (ANI)