Mumbai, May 14 (IANS): A total of 422 players will go under the hammer when the two-day auction for the upcoming sixth season of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) gets underway here on May 30.

Of the 422 players, 58 will be overseas players while 87 players will be coming from the Future Kabaddi Heroes Programme (FKH), a nationwide talent scouting programme.

Besides India, the auction will witness player representation from 14 other countries like Iran, Bangladesh, Japan, Kenya, South Korea, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and others.

Out of the 12 franchises, nine have chosen their elite Retained Players and the remaining 3 will construct their teams from scratch.

Commenting on the auction, PKL League Commissioner Anupam Goswami said: "The player auction for Pro Kabaddi Season VI will be the culmination of the player policy for the upcoming season, which has been designed for long term association as well as even redistribution of athletic talent."

"It epitomises the continuing advancement in Pro Kabaddi for quality of competition, along with the right balance between compensation to athletes and affordability for their employers," he added.

The 13-week long sixth season of the league will begin on October 19.