Belgium’s Sofia Costoulas, Russia’s Sofya Lansere, Belarusian player Iryna Shymanovich and India’s Dhakshineswar Suresh attracted the highest bids of ₹13 lakh each at the Kia Tennis Premier League (TPL) Season 8 auction in Mumbai on 12 October 2026.

The eight franchises have now completed their squads for the tournament, which will take place at the LB Tennis Stadium in Hyderabad from 8 to 13 December. Matches will be live-streamed on JioHotstar from 4:30 pm onwards.

The auction was held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Mumbai, with former Indian tennis stars Leander Paes, Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna among those present. Actors Rakul Preet Singh and Sonali Bendre also attended, while Amruta Fadnavis was the chief guest.

The four top bids reflected the demand for both overseas players and Indian talent ahead of the league’s eighth season. Among the Indian players, Suresh drew particular attention with a ₹13 lakh bid for Lucknow Blazers. His singles ranking stood at World No. 369, with a career-best position of 353 in 2026.

Costoulas, who won TPL Season 7, was signed by defending champions GS Delhi Aces. She held a WTA ranking of 159 and had reached a career-high position of 134 in 2026. Lansere joined Hyderabad Strikers, while Shymanovich was picked by Gujarat Panthers.

The auction gives the eight teams their line-ups for a competition built around short, fast matches. TPL uses a 25-point format in which each point carries weight, making the contest different from the longer match formats seen on the regular professional tennis tour.

The Gurgaon Grand Slammers, led by former men’s doubles World No. 1 Rohan Bopanna, signed Indian player Shrivalli Bhamidipaty for ₹7 lakh. She reached a career-high WTA ranking of 300 in 2024. Germany’s Daniel Masur joined for ₹7.10 lakh after reaching a career-best singles ranking of 176 in 2022.

Rajasthan Rangers, whose marquee player is Australia’s Rinky Hijikata, bought Indian doubles specialist Sriram Balaji for ₹8 lakh. Balaji reached the quarter-finals of the French Open in 2026. Russia’s Anastasia Zolotareva joined for ₹7.30 lakh, having reached a career-high WTA ranking of 229 in 2026.

Kolkata Thunder Blades will be led by Argentina’s Roman Burruchaga, listed as the league’s highest-ranked active player at World No. 56. China’s Fangran Tian was signed for ₹9.20 lakh, while India’s Anirudh Chandrasekar joined for ₹7.20 lakh. Chandrasekar held a doubles ranking of World No. 98.

Mumbai Royals, led by French player Terence Atmane, ranked World No. 99, bought India’s Niki Poonacha for ₹7.20 lakh. Poonacha has reached a career-high ATP doubles ranking of 85. Croatia’s Tara Wuerth joined for ₹7 lakh after previously reaching a career-best WTA ranking of 145.

GS Delhi Aces will look to retain their crown with Australia’s Adam Walton, ranked World No. 97, as their marquee player. Their signing of Costoulas for ₹13 lakh was among the auction’s highest bids. India’s Rithvik Choudhary Bollipalli also joined for ₹7 lakh. He reached a career-high ATP doubles ranking of 65 in 2025.

Gujarat Panthers brought in Belarusian player Shymanovich for ₹13 lakh. She held a WTA ranking of 213 and reached a career-high position of 150 in 2026. India’s Ramkumar Ramanathan joined for ₹7 lakh. He won a silver medal in men’s doubles at the 2022 Asian Games.

Hyderabad Strikers, led by Croatia’s Dino Prizmic, ranked World No. 95, signed Lansere for ₹13 lakh. India’s Siddhant Banthia joined for ₹7 lakh and held a doubles ranking of World No. 118, having reached a career-high position of 115 in September 2026.

Lucknow Blazers, led by Czech player Dalibor Svrcina, added Suresh for ₹13 lakh and Czechia’s Julie Stuplova for ₹7 lakh. Stuplova held a WTA ranking of 237 and reached a career-high position of 207 earlier in 2026.

Atul Sood, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Sales at Kia India, said the league fits the company’s long association with tennis, including more than two decades of partnership with the Australian Open. He said the company wanted to support Indian tennis and give established players and emerging talent a platform.

Kunal Thakkur, Co-Founder of Tennis Premier League, said the four bids of ₹13 lakh reflected the competition among franchises and the opportunities available to Indian players such as Suresh. Co-founder Mrunal Jain said the squads had been built around marquee players, with the aim of producing closely contested matches.

The league began in 2018 and has completed seven seasons. Its format splits each team match into four contests: women’s singles, men’s singles, mixed doubles and men’s doubles. Each contest is played to 25 points, giving a total of 100 points per match. The top four teams progress to the semi-finals under the league structure.

Season 7 was held in Ahmedabad in December 2025. The move to Hyderabad for Season 8 gives the league a new host city as it prepares for six days of competition. Organisers said they would announce the full match schedule later.

With the auction complete, the teams now have their players in place for the December tournament. The contest in Hyderabad will determine whether GS Delhi Aces can defend their title or another franchise can take the championship.