The bidding war has gone into overdrive. The Global e-Cricket Premier League (GEPL) has bowled over its previous records, with player valuations soaring and franchises splashing the cash ahead of its biggest season yet.
JetSynthesys has wrapped up the player auction for the third season of GEPL, selling 56 players across eight franchises for a combined Rs 62.75 lakh. The auction, the fiercest in the league’s history, saw four players breach the Rs 3 lakh mark, with all-rounder Jetha Ram emerging as the costliest signing ever at Rs 3.5 lakh.
Season three also marks GEPL’s expansion into an eight-team competition with the arrival of Kolkata Hawks, owned by singer Sonu Nigam, and Gujarat Wolves, backed by esports star Scout (Tanmay Singh). The franchise-based e-cricket league will be played at the Jairaj Sports & Convention Centre in Pune from 1-9 August.
Calling the auction a sign of a maturing ecosystem, JetSynthesys chairman Rajan Navani said rising player valuations and stronger franchise participation underline e-cricket’s emergence as a mainstream sporting format. He added that GEPL is designed not merely as a tournament but as a platform to create career opportunities for esports athletes while building a globally relevant digital entertainment property from India.
Each of the eight franchises entered the auction with one retained marquee player and seven slots to fill, taking the total player pool to 64. Mumbai Grizzlies stole the headlines by snapping up Jetha Ram for a record Rs 3.5 lakh.
Pune Stallions followed with Sagar Aanjana at Rs 3.4 lakh, Hyderabad Rhinos signed Sachin Chavan for Rs 3.3 lakh, while newcomer Kolkata Hawks picked up Golden Kumar for Rs 3.1 lakh. Bengaluru Badgers retained Soumyadipta Biswas for Rs 2.7 lakh, completing the season’s top five earners.
The auction also highlighted an increasingly dynamic transfer market, with four of the five highest-valued players switching franchises as teams prioritised proven match-winners over loyalty.
JetSynthesys senior vice-president- sports Jogesh Lulla said, “The auction reflects esports’ shift from a passion project to a viable profession, with structured leagues creating sustainable career paths for digital athletes.”
GEPL, powered by Real Cricket, the mobile cricket simulation game with more than 400 million lifetime downloads, continues to stack up heavyweight backers. Its ownership roster includes Sonu Nigam, Scout, Sara Tendulkar, Suniel Shetty, Peyush Bansal, Nikhil Kamath, Ankit Nagori, Prashanth Prakash, Gopal Srinivasan, Madhusudanan R, Arjun Santhanakrishnan and Amit Mehta.
After generating more than 174 million impressions during season two, GEPL is upping the ante with an expanded eight-team format, a Rs 3.1 crore prize pool and broadcast partnerships with Star Sports and JioHotstar. If the auction is any indication, the league is no longer just playing the game, it is changing it.
