Kia Tennis Premier League Season 8 Player Auction

On 13 October 2026, the Kia Tennis Premier League (TPL) conducted its Season 8 player auction at the Four Seasons Hotel in Mumbai. The event was attended by former tennis stars Leander Paes, Sania Mirza, Rohan Bopanna, actress Rakul Preet Singh, Sonali Bendre and chief guest Amrita Fadnavis. Eight franchise teams bid intensively to build their squads ahead of the season, which will be staged at the LB Tennis Stadium in Hyderabad from 8 December to 13 December 2026, with live streaming on JioHotstar from 4:30 PM.

Highest Bids

Four players attracted the joint‑highest auction price of ₹13 lakh each: Belgium’s Sofia Costoulas, Russia’s Sofya Lansere, Belarus/Ukraine‑born Iryna Shymanovich, and India’s Dhakshineswar Suresh. Costoulas, the TPL Season 7 top performer, holds a current WTA ranking of 159 and a career‑high of 134 (2026). Lansere is ranked World No. 266 with a career‑high of 200. Shymanovich is World No. 213, career‑high 150 (2026). Suresh is World No. 369 in singles, career‑high 353 (2026).

Franchise Acquisitions

  • Gurgaon Grand Slammers (led by Rohan Bopanna) secured Indian doubles player Shrivalli Bhamidipaty for ₹7 lakh (career‑high WTA 300, 2024) and Germany’s Daniel Masur for ₹7.10 lakh (career‑high singles 176, 2022).
  • Rajasthan Rangers added Australian doubles champion Rinky Hijikata and Indian specialist Sriram Balaji for ₹8 lakh; Balaji reached the French Open 2026 quarter‑finals. They also signed Russia’s Anastasia Zolotareva for ₹7.30 lakh (current WTA 269, career‑high 229, 2026).
  • HVR Kolkata Thunder Blades signed Argentina’s Roman Burruchaga (World No. 56, league’s highest‑ranked player) and China’s Fangran Tian for ₹9.20 lakh (World No. 246, career‑high 243, 2026), plus India’s Anirudh Chandrasekar for ₹7.20 lakh (World No. 98 in doubles).
  • Mumbai Royals acquired Frenchman Terence Atmane (World No. 99) and India’s Niki Poonacha for ₹7.20 lakh (career‑high ATP doubles 85). They also signed Croatia’s Tara Wuerth for ₹7 lakh (World No. 523, career‑high 145).
  • GS Delhi Aces (defending champions) secured Costoulas for ₹13 lakh and India’s Rithvik Choudhary Bollipalli for ₹7 lakh (career‑high ATP doubles 65, 2025).
  • Gujarat Panthers added France’s Alexandre Muller as marquee player, India’s Ramkumar Ramanathan for ₹7 lakh (Asian Games 2022 silver medallist), and Shymanovich for ₹13 lakh.
  • Hyderabad Strikers signed Croatia’s Dino Prizmic (World No. 95) and Russia’s Sofya Lansere for ₹13 lakh, plus India’s Siddhant Banthia for ₹7 lakh (World No. 118 in doubles, career‑high 115, Sep 2026).
  • Lucknow Blazers brought in Czechia’s Dalibor Svrcina (career‑high 86) and India’s Dhakshineswar Suresh for ₹13 lakh, plus Czechia’s Julie Stuplova for ₹7 lakh (World No. 237, career‑high 207).

League Format and Schedule

The Season 8 competition will follow TPL’s signature 25‑point format, with each point carrying equal weight. Detailed match schedules will be released in due course.

Comments from Organisers

Atul Sood, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Sales, Kia India, stated that the auction marks an “exciting moment” as franchises build competitive squads and highlighted Kia’s two‑decade partnership with the Australian Open and its commitment to Indian tennis. Co‑founder Kunal Thakkur noted that four players fetching ₹13 lakh each demonstrates the league’s heightened competitiveness and growing opportunities for Indian talent. Co‑founder Mrunal Jain added that each franchise now possesses a balanced mix of experience and emerging talent, anticipating the most closely contested edition yet.

Franchise Squads (Summary)

  • Rajasthan Rangers: Rinky Hijikata (Australia), Sriram Balaji (India), Anastasia Zolotareva (Russia)
  • Gurgaon Grand Slammers: Rohan Bopanna (India), Daniel Masur (Germany), Shrivalli Bhamidipaty (India)
  • HVR Kolkata Thunder Blades: Roman Burruchaga (Argentina), Anirudh Chandrasekar (India), Fangran Tian (China)
  • Gujarat Panthers: Alexandre Muller (France), Ramkumar Ramanathan (India), Iryna Shymanovich (Russia)
  • Hyderabad Strikers: Dino Prizmic (Croatia), Siddhant Banthia (India), Sofya Lansere (Russia)
  • Lucknow Blazers: Dalibor Svrcina (Czechia), Dhakshineswar Suresh (India), Julie Stuplova (Czechia)
  • Mumbai Royals: Terence Atmane (France), Niki Poonacha (India), Tara Wuerth (Croatia)
  • GS Delhi Aces: Adam Walton (Australia), Rithvik Choudhary Bollipalli (India), Sofia Costoulas (Belgium)