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Pro Kabaddi 2022 (PKL) starts in three weeks. Three cities, namely Bengaluru, Pune and Hyderabad, will host all matches in the ninth season of the PKL.
The previous season ended earlier this year, with Dabang Delhi KC winning their maiden championship.
The Delhi-based franchise joined the Pro Kabaddi League in 2014, but could not win any title until the previous season. Before Dabang Delhi KC, Patna Pirates, U Mumba, Bengaluru Bulls, Bengal Warriors, and Jaipur Pink Panthers registered their names in the list of Pro Kabaddi League-winning teams.
However, there are still six franchises which are yet to win a PKL trophy. Three of them have a massive chance of ending their championship drought in Pro Kabaddi 2022. Here's a list of those three teams.
#1 Telugu Titans are the favorites to win Pro Kabaddi 2022
Telugu Titans have been a part of the Pro Kabaddi League since the inaugural edition of the tournament. The Titans have qualified for the semi-finals twice, but they have never been able to make it to the final.
They had a horrendous season in 2021/22 as they managed only one win in 22 matches. The main raiders of Telugu Titans - Siddharth Desai and Rohit Kumar - missed a majority of the matches because of injuries. The team's defense failed to perform consistently as well, leading to the Telugu Titans' last-place finish.
The team owners have revamped the squad and the coaching staff ahead of Pro Kabaddi 2022. PKL 2021/22 champion Manjeet Chhillar is the new assistant coach of the franchise. He prepared an excellent auction strategy with the rest of the team management, ensuring that the Telugu Titans have a stellar squad for Pro Kabaddi 2022.
The Titans have five match-winners in their raiding unit, namely Siddharth Desai, Monu Goyat, Abhishek Singh, Ankit Beniwal and Rajnish. They have some big names like Ravinder Pahal, Surjeet Singh, Parvesh Bhainswal and Vishal Bhardwaj in the defense.
If they play well as a unit in PKL 2022, no team will be able to stop the Telugu Titans from winning their first championship.
#2 Puneri Paltan
Puneri Paltan retained their top raiders from Season 8, namely Aslam Inamdar, Mohit Goyat and Pankaj Mohite. They have added Iranian all-rounder Mohammad Nabibakhsh in the squad to strengthen their raiding unit.
Fazel Atrachali will join Sombir in the corner defense, while Abinesh Nadarajan and Sanket Sawant will play as the two cover defenders.
Like Telugu Titans, Pune have qualified for the playoffs multiple times but never made it to the final. With a strong squad on paper, Pune have a huge chance of ending PKL 2022 as champions.
#3 UP Yoddhas
UP Yoddhas have qualified for the playoffs in all the seasons they have played so far. However, they have always fallen short in the knockout matches before the final.
This year, the team has a fantastic raiding unit, featuring Pardeep Narwal, Nitin Tomar and Surender Gill. Their defense has some seasoned campaigners like Nitesh Kumar, Sumit, Ashu Singh and Gurdeep.
The first-choice playing seven of UP Yoddhas have the potential to defeat any team in the league, making them one of the contenders to win Pro Kabaddi 2022.
