Deepak, Nitin most expensive at PKL auctions
Mumbai, May 30: Iranian defender Fazel Atrachali's joy of being the costliest buy in Pro Kabaddi League's (PKL) history was shortlived as Deepak Niwas Hooda and Nitin Tomar went to Jaipur Pink Panthers and Puneri Paltan respectively for identical sums of Rs 1.15 crore.
Deepak sparked a bidding war between the various franchises. Haryana Steelers and Dabang Delhi fought a close fight to secure his services. However, it were the Panthers who came out victorious to bag the 23-year-old.
Earlier in the day, Atrachali had become the costliest buy in the history of the tournament after being pocketed by U Mumba for a whopping 1 crore in the foreign player auctions.
Meanwhile, defender Ran Singh and Srikant Tewatia were bagged by Pink Panthers and Bengal Warriors for Rs 43 lakh and Rs 25 lakh respectively.
However, the franchises showed meagre interest in Manjeet Chillar, who was one of the most expensive buys at last year's auctions. Tamil Thalaivas took home the defender for a mere Rs 20 lakh.
Patna Pirates paid Rs 21 lakh for all-rounder Kuldeep Singh while Pink Panthers once again spent Rs 58 lakh for Mohit Chillar.
Surinder Nada, meanwhile, also emerged as one of the most expensive players as Haryana Steelers had to spend Rs 75 lakh for keeping the all-rounder in their squad.
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Regulator DGCA eases flight duty norms for pilots amid IndiGo crisis
Mumbai (PTI): Aviation watchdog DGCA on Friday eased the flight duty norms by allowing substitution of leaves with a weekly rest period amid massive operational disruptions at IndiGo, according to sources.
As per the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms, "no leave shall be substituted for weekly rest", which means that weekly rest period and leaves are to be treated separately. The clause was part of efforts to address fatigue issues among the pilots.
Citing IndiGo flight disruptions, sources told PTI that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has decided to withdraw the provision 'no leave shall be substituted for weekly rest' from the FDTL norms.
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"In view of the ongoing operational disruptions and representations received from various airlines regarding the need to ensure continuity and stability of operations, it has been considered necessary to review the said provision," DGCA said in a communication dated December 5.
The gaps in planning ahead of the implementation of the revised FDTL, the second phase of which came into force from November 1, have resulted in crew shortage at IndiGo and is one of the key reasons for the current disruptions.
#BREAKING: #DGCA relaxes a clause which debarred airlines to club leaves with weekly rest to mitigate #IndiGo crisis
— Economic Times (@EconomicTimes) December 5, 2025
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