India, Feb. 20 -- Honey Baisoya was at the practice greens of the iconic Tollygunge Club in Kolkata when, almost 1500 kilometres away in the national capital, six franchises were involved in an intense bidding war over him at the auction for the inaugural 72 The League - PGTI's foray into franchise-based competition.

The auction wasn't streamed or televised, which meant Baisoya was fervently checking his Instagram feed between the putting rounds. "There was some nervousness, for sure. I knew I would be in demand, but never expected to go this big," he said.

"This big" is a little over 100 per cent hike over his base price and a much-needed validation for someone who was considered a special talent from the time he turned professional in...