Mumbai, Sep 25 (Reporter) The highly-anticipated Tennis Premier League (TPL) Season 6 auctions concluded here on Wednesday, with eight franchises assembling strong teams through intense bidding wars. The star-studded evening saw tennis icons Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, and Sania Mirza come together to promote the sport, along with Bollywood celebrities Rakul Preet Singh and Sonali Bendre. Armenian rising star Elina Avanesyan fetched the highest bid of Rs 42.20 lakh from Priyesh Jain-owned and Taapsee Pannu-backed Punjab Patriots. Defending champions Bengaluru SG Pipers acquired Australian Max Purcell, a two-time Grand Slam mixed doubles title winner, for Rs 42 lakh. Bengal Wizards, owned by Yatin Gupte and backed by Sania Mirza, bought Croatian Petra Matric, a two-time WTA tour singles title winner, at her base price of Rs 35 lakh. Gujarat Panthers secured Sumit Nagal and Sahaja Yamalapalli, while Yash Mumbai Eagles spent big on Romanian Jaqueline Cristian. Shrachi Delhi Rarh Tigers acquired veteran Rohan Bopanna, who recently became the oldest player to achieve World No. 1 ranking in men's doubles. New franchise Chennai Smashers, owned by Vipul Bansal and Dharmender Goel and backed by Sonali Bendre, made a smart buy for French youngster Hugo Gaston. TPL Co-founder Kunal Thakkur expressed happiness over the successful auctions, thanking team owners, ambassadors, and mentors. "The exciting bidding wars are what make the auctions. Today, all teams executed their plans to perfection and did not settle for anything below excellence," said Mrunal Jain, TPL Co-founder. The league, in association with the All-India Tennis Association (AITA) and Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA), will run from December 3-8 at the iconic Cricket Club of India...////...