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After frustrating last place finishes in two seasons and then missing out agonisingly on reaching the final in the next two, Puneri Paltan fans will hope that the team can go all the way in the 5th edition of the Pro Kabaddi League.
The Paltan has been slotted in Zone A along with Dabang Delhi, Gujarat Fortunegiants, Haryana Steelers, Jaipur Pink Panthers, and U Mumba.
The team's young captain Deepak Hooda certainly seems to believe in their chances and is hoping for a breakthrough season for the Pune based franchise. Hooda, one of the best all-rounders in the league was retained in the squad by the owners, ahead of other star players like Manjeet Chillar and Ajay Thakur, clearly underlining his importance to the team.
In the auction, their most notable pick was Sandeep Narwal, one of the most crucial players on the Patna Pirates side that won the league last two seasons. They also managed to acquire the services of two more players from that winning side in the form of veteran defender Dharmaraj Cheralathan and Rajesh Mondal.
The Paltan owners have also shown belief in youth with promising raiders like Rohit Kumar Chaudhary and Umesh Mhatre coming in. Although the Pune squad might not have the strongest raiding group, they can boast of one of the best defences in the league. Joining Sandeep and Dharmaraj in defence is another proven performer - Girish Ernak.
In the build up to the new season, the team has focussed on fitness, with three specialist trainers being hired from cricketer Zaheer Khan's Pro Sports fitness firm.
Moreover, Puneri Paltan fans will be optimistic of the team's chances with Arjuna awardee and two-time Asian gold medallist BC Ramesh joining as the new coach this season.
Below is the schedule of Puneri Paltan's matches in the league stage. Apart from these, one more inter-zonal match will be played, details of which will be decided by a wildcard. So what lies ahead of them? Here is their complete schedule.
Match #1
Date: 28 July
Opponent: U Mumba
City: Hyderabad
Timing (IST): 21:00
Match #2
Date: 4 August
Opponent: Dabang Delhi K.C.
City: Nagpur
Timing(IST): 21:00
Match #3
Date: 10 August
Opponent: Jaipur Pink Panthers
City: Nagpur
Timing (IST): 20:00
Also read: Pro Kabaddi League Season 5: Five Puneri Paltan players who can win the team the elusive title
Match #4
Date: 15 August
Opponent: Bengal Warriors
City: Ahmedabad
Timing (IST): 20:00
Match #5
Date: 20 August
Opponent: Patna Pirates
City: Lucknow
Timing (IST): 20:00
Match #6
Date: 22 August
Opponent: Gujarat Fortunegiants
City: Lucknow
Timing (IST): 20:00
Also read: Pro Kabaddi 2017 Season 5: 5 reasons why Puneri Paltan can win their maiden title
Match #7
Date: 26 August
Opponent: U Mumba
City: Mumbai
Timing (IST): 21:00
Match #8
Date: 7 September
Opponent: Telugu Titans
City: Kolkata
Timing (IST): 20:00
Match #9
Date: 10 September
Opponent: Bengaluru Bulls
City: Sonepat
Timing (IST): 20:00
Also read: Pro Kabaddi League 2017 Season 5: Puneri Paltan's predicted starting line-up
Match #10
Date: 13 September
Opponent: Haryana Steelers
City: Sonepat
Timing (IST): 21:00
Match #11
Date: 19 September
Opponent: Haryana Steelers
City: Ranchi
Timing (IST): 20:00
Match #12
Date: 23 September
Opponent: Dabang Delhi K.C.
City: New Delhi
Timing (IST): 21:00
Also read: Puneri Paltan owners: All you need to know about them
Match #13
Date: 29 September
Opponent: Tamil Thalaivas
City: Chennai
Timing (IST): 20:00
Match #14
Date: 30 September
Opponent: Up Yoddha
City: Chennai
Timing (IST): 20:00
Match #15
Date: 8 October
Opponent: Jaipur Pink Panthers
City: Jaipur
Timing (IST): 21:00
Also read: Pro Kabaddi League 2017 Season 5: The title will be ours this year, assures Deepak Hooda
Match #16
Date: 13 October
Opponent: Gujarat Fortunegiants
City: Pune
Timing (IST): 20:00
Match #17
Date: 14 October
Opponent: U Mumba
City: Pune
Timing (IST): 21:00
Match #18
Date: 15 October
Opponent: Dabang Delhi K.C
City: Pune
Timing (IST): 21:00
Also read: Pro Kabaddi League 2017 Season 5: Top 5 players who will be eager to put Season 4 behind them
Match #19
Date: 17 October
Opponent: Haryana Steelers
City: Pune
Timing (IST): 20:00
Match #20
Date: 18 October
Opponent: Jaipur Pink Panthers
City: Pune
Timing (IST): 21:00
Match #21
Date: 20 October
Opponent: Gujarat Fortunegiants
City: Pune
Timing (IST): 21:00
Download link: Puneri Paltan full schedule PDF here
Also read: Pro Kabaddi League 2017 Season 5: 5 players who came from humble backgrounds and made it big
