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Tamil Thalaivas were one of the 4 new teams added to PKL, increasing the number of teams to 12. It was their first season and they were the only team among the new teams not to make the playoffs. But the Tamil Thalaivas in their first season were involved in some of the most thrilling matches in PKL 5. They won 4 matches in the last minute but also lost a few matches in the dying minutes.
The Tamil Thalaivas' campaign unearthed some of the most promising youngsters such as Darshan J, C. Arun and K. Prapanjan. Ajay Thakur single-handedly lit up the league with some dazzling performances under pressure. Tamil Thalaivas' lack of experience cost them on a few occasions last season but they have rectified the void this season by adding experienced players such as Manjeet Chhillar, Jasvir Singh and Sukesh Hegde and their fanatic fans will hope that they make the playoffs this time around.
K. Prapanjan
There were serious concerns raised about the raiding prowess of Tamil Thalaivas before the start of PKL 5 with many observers feeling that the Tamil Thalaivas do not have any serious raiding threat apart from Ajay Thakur. K. Prapanjan was the only other raider to have any PKL experience having been part of U Mumba and Telugu Titans squads, but due to various reasons Prapanjan never really got a chance at his previous teams having mainly been used as a substitute raider.
The tall Prapanjan grabbed the opportunity to consistently start the matches and was one of the breakthrough stars of PKL 5, scoring crucial raid points when required and ably supporting Ajay Thakur. He scored 123 raid points and his performances didn’t go unnoticed as he was picked up by Gujarat Fortune Giants for 39 lakhs, more than some of the renowned raiders like Anup Kumar, Kashiling Adake, Wazir Singh, Sukesh Hegde and Jasvir Singh among others.
Darshan J
The short and stocky right cover was a complete unknown but was another of the breakthrough stars for Tamil Thalaivas in PKL 5. Initially signed as a back up to the experienced Tamil Nadu right cover Vijin Thangadurai, the Karnataka native not only dislodged him from the starting 7 but also impressed everyone with his fearlessness, power and timing of the tackles.
Darshan managed to regularly stop the likes of Rahul Chaudhari, Rohit Kumar and Maninder Singh establishing himself as one of the best upcoming right covers of PKL. He can be a bit rash at times but there is no doubting that the 20-year old has all the tools to become one of the best covers in PKL.
C.Arun
Tamil Thalaivas bought left cover C. Arun 33 lakhs despite having experienced Services left cover Anil Kumar in their ranks. The former Bengal Warriors and Jaipur Pink Panthers did well becoming the first choice left cover and impressing on the mat with his speed and timing of the tackles.
The Chennai native is not a flashy player but is an epitome of a team man. His ability to support other defenders on time proved vital time and again for Tamil Thalaivas last season additionally his ability to fill in different positions other than his primary position of the left cover was also crucial. He scored 35 tackle points, but the team management appreciated his selflessness and versatility which led him to be retained for PKL 6.
Amit Hooda
The right corner after a brilliant PKL 4 with Jaipur Pink Panthers was snapped up by Tamil Thalaivas for 63 lakhs making him their most expensive player barring the retained Ajay Thakur. The former Patna Pirates and Jaipur Pink Panthers repaid the faith with some brilliant performances and at times single-handedly led the Tamil Thalaivas defence.
He was perhaps the only defender who consistently got the better of Pardeep Narwal stopping him dead in his tracks with his powerful and accurate ankle holds. He scored 61 tackle points among right corners only Abozar Mighani with 62 tackle scored more, though he played 2 matches more. Despite barely getting any support from the opposite corner Amit Hooda was a constant shining light for the Tamil Thalaivas.
Ajay Thakur
No superlatives can truly do justice to Ajay Thakur’s brilliance for the Tamil Thalaivas in PKL 5. In a forgettable campaign for Tamil Thalaivas, all the good memories for the Tamil Thalaivas fans were largely due to one man and one man alone. To win a match in the last raid with the team trailing by a point is itself heroic, but to do it 3 times is superhuman and to do it against teams such as Bengal Warriors, Gujarat Fortune Giants and U.P Yoddha is simply astonishing and unbelievable.
The Current Indian national team scored 213 raid points only Pardeep Narwal and Rohit Kumar scored more in PKL 5. The 32-year old consistently led by example in a difficult campaign.
