The Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) has made kabaddi player auctions a spectacle watched by millions. But the same high-energy auction format can be replicated for district leagues, college tournaments, and corporate kabaddi events — and with the right software, it is easier to run online than you might expect.

This guide covers everything you need to set up and run a kabaddi player auction online — from configuring team purses and player categories to broadcasting your draft live.

Why Use Dedicated Auction Software for Kabaddi?

Kabaddi auctions have unique requirements that generic tools struggle with:

Specialist positions: Kabaddi squads must balance Raiders, Defenders (Corners and Covers), and All-Rounders. Roster rules need to enforce this mix.
Tiered player categories: PKL-style auctions use multiple tiers (Elite, Category A, Category B, New Young Players) each with different base prices. Manually tracking these on a spreadsheet is error-prone.
Real-time bid validation: Teams must not be allowed to bid beyond their remaining purse or violate squad composition rules mid-auction.

Auction Ace handles all of this automatically with real-time bidding and configurable roster constraints.

Kabaddi Auction Format: PKL-Style vs. Open Auction

Format	Structure	Best For
PKL-Style Category Auction	Players grouped into Elite, Cat A, Cat B, NYP categories. Each category auctioned separately with different base prices.	Large organised leagues, 6–12 teams
Open Purse Auction	All players in a single pool. Teams bid freely with a fixed budget until rosters are filled.	Smaller leagues, 4–8 teams
Blind Bid Auction	Teams submit sealed bids for each player. Highest bid wins. Fast but lower drama.	Time-constrained events

Step-by-Step: Setting Up Your Kabaddi Auction on Auction Ace

Step 1 — Create Your Auction

Sign up and create a new auction on Auction Ace. Name it (e.g., "District Kabaddi League 2026 Auction"), set your currency (INR is the default for most Indian leagues), and choose your visibility — Private for a closed league, Public if you want external spectators to watch the bids unfold.

Step 2 — Configure Teams and Purses

Add each franchise and assign their starting purse. For a district-level league, a purse of ₹30,00,000–₹50,00,000 per team is typical. Set roster rules to mirror your league regulations:

Total squad size (typically 18–22 players per team in organised leagues)
Maximum players per category (e.g., max 4 Elite players per team)
Minimum Raiders, Defenders, and All-Rounders required

Auction Ace enforces these limits automatically during the live auction — a team cannot win a player if it would break a roster rule.

Step 3 — Import Your Player List

Prepare your CSV or enter players manually. For a kabaddi auction, the key fields are:

Name and optional photo
Role — Raider, Corner Defender, Cover Defender, All-Rounder
Category — Elite, Category A, Category B, New Young Player (NYP)
Base price — varies by category (e.g., Elite: ₹30L+, Cat A: ₹20L, Cat B: ₹10L, NYP: ₹5L)
Custom stats (Raid Points, Tackle Points, Super Raids) — shown on the bidding screen during the live auction

Step 4 — Structure the Auction Order

In PKL-style auctions, categories are auctioned in order of prestige — Elite players first, then Category A, B, and NYP. This creates the right narrative arc: the most dramatic bidding wars happen early, and teams must manage their remaining purse as deeper categories approach.

Use Auction Ace's player ordering feature to arrange your player list by category before the auction begins.

Step 5 — Invite Team Owners

Send each team owner their private dashboard link. From their dashboard they can see:

Their current purse and how much they've spent
Their current roster and remaining slots by position
The live bid and bidding team for the current player on the block
A one-tap bid button to place their bid instantly

Step 6 — Optional: Broadcast Live

Kabaddi has a passionate fan community. If your league has followers, broadcast the auction on YouTube Live using Auction Ace's OBS overlay. It displays the current player's name, role, category, current bid, and bidding team — giving viewers an experience close to watching a PKL auction on television.

Kabaddi-Specific Auction Tips

Auction Raiders before Defenders: Top Raiders drive the most excitement and biggest bids. Starting with them sets the energy for the entire event.
Enforce position balance early: Teams that spend their entire purse on Raiders will be left scrambling for defensive cover. Make the roster position minimums clearly visible before the auction starts.
Set a hard RTM (Right to Match) rule if needed: If your league uses retention or RTM cards, note which players are pre-retained and remove them from the auction pool. Auction Ace lets you mark players as pre-assigned to specific teams.
Keep bid increments sensible: For a ₹30L base price player, a ₹1L increment is appropriate. Auction Ace lets you set global or per-category increment rules.

Estimated Setup Timeline

15 minsAuction Configuration: Create event, add teams with purses, configure roster rules and categories.
25 minsPlayer Import: Upload all players with roles, categories, base prices, and stats.
10 minsOwner Onboarding: Distribute private dashboard links and run a quick test bid with dummy data.
10 minsStreaming Setup (Optional): Add OBS browser source with your overlay URL and test on the broadcast device.

Common Mistakes in Kabaddi Auctions

No position caps: A team that signs five Raiders and no Defenders cannot field a legal kabaddi squad. Always configure minimum position requirements.
Too large a player pool: For an 8-team league with 20-player rosters, you need 160 players. Padding with 300 low-tier players wastes auction time. Quality over quantity.
Ignoring category order: Auctioning NYP players before Elite creates an anticlimax. Always structure the order so the excitement builds.
No mobile test before the event: Ensure every team owner has accessed their dashboard on their phone before auction day. Last-minute login issues on live day are avoidable.

Post-Auction: Sharing Results

Once the auction closes, export the final squad lists from Auction Ace and share them on your league's WhatsApp group or social media. Publishing the biggest purchases, most-contested players, and total team spends builds anticipation for the season and rewards the drama of the event with community engagement.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can team owners bid from their phones?

Yes. Auction Ace is fully mobile-optimised. Team owners tap to bid directly from their smartphone browser — no app download required.

Can I run the auction in INR?

Yes. Auction Ace fully supports INR and displays purses in the correct format. You can also use custom units like "Points" or "Lakhs" as display labels.

How do I handle player retentions?

Pre-assign retained players to their teams before the auction begins. Auction Ace lets you mark a player as already assigned to a specific team, deducting the retention price from that team's purse automatically.

Can I enforce position-specific roster limits?

Yes. Configure minimum and maximum counts for Raiders, Defenders, and All-Rounders. The system prevents any team from winning a player that would violate these rules.

Ready to run your kabaddi auction?

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How to Run a Kabaddi Player Auction Online in 2026 (Step-by-Step Guide)