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After what seemed like a never-ending wait of 1082 days, the Pro Kabaddi League will finally open its doors to the thousands of fans who are expected to decorate the Sree Kanteerva Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru with their colourful jerseys and face paint on PKL 9's opening day.
While six teams will commence their campaign in what's expected to be a cauldron of noise in Bengaluru, the rest of the six squads will also compete in their opening clashes tomorrow, promising high-octane Pro Kabaddi 2022 action over the course of the next two days.
The PKL 9 season comes with a fair share of curiosity though, with many players shifting loyalties and donning different jerseys as compared to PKL 8. The Bengaluru faithful (#BullsSene) will need to replace their screams of "PAWAN, PAWAN" with "VIKASH, VIKASH", courtesy of Pawan Sehrawat moving to Tamil Thalaivas, and the Bulls splurging ₹1.70 Crore to sign Vikash Kandola as his replacement.
'Poster Boy' Rahul Chaudhari will be a Panther for Pro Kabaddi 2022 in his first season with Jaipur, but there is some normalcy to the narrative as well. Naveen Kumar will be the focal point at Dabang Delhi, while Pardeep Narwal is expected to fare a lot better for UP Yoddha given that he's now fully fit and raring to go.
Also read - Pro Kabaddi 2022 Schedule PDF Download: Full PKL schedule, dates and match timings
The Telugu Titans have not only roped in the who's who of Pro Kabaddi's defenders, they've also got veteran PKL star Manjeet Chhillar in a new avatar - as assistant coach.
Oh, and for those waiting to see the Iranians like Fazel Atrachali, Mohammad Nabibakhsh, Mohammadreza Chiyaneh in action, well.... you'll have to wait longer. The Iranians have all flown back after visa issues have put a premature end to their stay in India, and there's no date rubber stamped for their return.
And so there are plenty of questions, combinations and talking points that will potentially outline the first week of Pro Kabaddi 2022 action. Here, we take a look at one main question that could define each team - so let's dive in?
Note: Teams have been picked in alphabetical order by their names, making it easy for you to pick your favourite team! Sound off your thoughts in the comments section!
#1 Which version of Deepak Hooda will we see at the Bengal Warriors?
It's not really wrong at this point to say that Deepak Hooda, the Indian Kabaddi national team captain, is going through a tough time in his PKL career. A big, strong man capable of troubling the best of defenders, Hooda is captured in one's imagination as one of PKL's best players - but the stats seem to say otherwise.
And so do the prices he goes for at the auction. Hooda was retained by Jaipur using their FBM card for just ₹55 lakh in the PKL 2021 auction, and that number fell to an even lower ₹43 lakh in August this year.
Money might not be the be-all or end-all, but it does speak volumes about how PKL teams rate Hooda. By his own admission, Hooda has always been fit and there's never been an issue with his game, but something is going wrong.
With a new dawn at the Warriors, we could well witness a spring in his step and the famous hand touches, ankle holds that the all-rounder is known for. However, if he indeed fails to perform yet again - Hooda could be walking into the evening of his career.
#2 Can Vikash Kandola take over Pawan Sehrawat's spot in the Bengaluru Bulls fans' hearts?
As spoken about before and a topic that will remain for long, Pawan Sehrawat at the Bengaluru Bulls was more than just a player, he was an emotion for the fans. For three seasons, including a title-winning, MVP-winning performance in PKL 6, Sehrawat was the apple of the eye - at least for the Bulls fans.
For PKL 9 though, Pawan has moved on to the Thalaivas after they broke the bank and signed him for a record ₹2.26 Cr. While the Bulls vs Thalaivas rivalry isn't as intense as the very famous RCB vs CSK contests, Pawan at Bengaluru is a story that's met its end.
There's a new superstar in town, and while the Bulls' fans might take time to accept Vikash Kandola with open arms, there's still a big question mark over the influence he can have on every match.
In the sample size of the last three PKL seasons, Sehrawat has topped the raid points charts every time, a hat-trick to his name. Kandola, in comparison, has finished 9th (PKL 6), 6th (PKL 7) and 8th (PKL 8) in the same table.
Purely in numbers, Sehrawat (921 raid points in 72 matches) is miles ahead of Kandola (536 raid points in 64 matches). Bulls coach Randhir Sehrawat, though, has promised that Kandola will have "a season like never before" - but will it be big enough to fill the enormous void left behind by the 'Hi-Flyer'?
#3 Will captain Naveen 'Express' seamlessly slot into his role as the engineroom of Dabang Delhi?
Most people generally cringe when folks use the age-old phrase "there's no words to describe this" - but there's not another truer statement that applies to the Pro Kabaddi marvel that is Naveen Kumar. Since his PKL debut in season 6, Naveen's only improved with time, winning back-to-back MVP (Most valuable player) awards in PKL 7 and then PKL 8.
Particularly in PKL 8, in which he braved a bad knee injury to lead Dabang Delhi K.C. to their first title, all of which is testament to the talent that Naveen brings to the table.
However, for all three seasons, he's only had to focus on raiding and leaving defenders flummoxed. In PKL 9, there's a new challenge - one that involves captaining Delhi. There's always the added pressure of captaincy, with more sets of eyes on the player than before.
Thus far, Naveen has averaged 10.97 raid points per match, a terrific achievement as per PKL standards and one that Delhi have always leaned on for wins. Now, as captain, how that figure either goes up or falls down is the biggest question.
#4 Does Gujarat Giants captain Chandran Ranjit have it in him to step up his game beyond just a secondary raider?
For starters, did any of us expect Gujarat Giants to name Ranjit as captain? The direct answer would be NO - probably a rare few had him penciled down as skipper in their books.
Other suitors included Rinku Narwal/Baldev Singh, maybe even Sandeep Kandola, but that's not to take anything away from Ranjit, who is a very talented raider in his own right and can change matches with his astute skills.
The only reason why this question came up is because in his prime from 2018 on, he's played under the shadow of superior raiders. Naveen Kumar in Delhi and Pawan Sehrawat in Bengaluru.
Ranjit averages a touch under 5 raid points a match (4.92 to be precise), and the captaincy is now a huge responsibility on him. Unless... well, they have PKL's most successful coach in Ram Mehar Singh - who might just take all the calls from the bench. If the captaincy brings the best out of Ranjit, then nothing like it. But for a rather shy character who is happy to be inside his own comfort circle, captaincy could be quite a tall order.
#5 How successful will the homegrown combination of coach Manpreet Singh and captain Joginder Narwal be for Haryana Steelers?
Two big Pro Kabaddi names will come together in a debut venture, with former title winner Manpreet Singh combining with PKL 8 champion Joginder Narwal as the powerhouse duo for the Steelers.
Both men house acres of kabaddi experience, and with the Steelers unit comprising of quite some young blood, a lot of the onus will be on Manpreet and Joginder to chalk out their season's blueprint.
With Vikash Kandola finding a new team at the auction, Narwal will have the responsibility of figuring out his raiding combination with some exciting names in the mix such as Manjeet Dahiya, Meetu, Rakesh Narwal among others.
#6 Will 'Poster Boy' Rahul Chaudhari put on a show for the ages and take the Jaipur Pink Panthers to victory?
Once an unstoppable raider on the mat, Rahul Chaudhari, a man with innumerable monikers, will be at the center of attraction in Pro Kabaddi 2022 - with fans and pundits eager to see if the 'Showman' finds a way to add life to his faltering PKL career.
Since PKL 6, Chaudhari's form has only dipped - quite considerably too - with his average raid points per match registered as 7.57 (Season 6), 5.91 (PKL 7) and a jaw-dropping 1.86 (PKL 8).
Apart from the dwindling numbers, Chaudhari has also been hit by other issues. The lack of role clarity in the Thalaivas (S7), frequent bench-warming at Puneri Paltan (S8) have all proven to dent a rather spotless career before PKL 6.
With PKL 9, though, it is a chance for Chaudhari to open a new chapter in his career, one in which he could once again be the heartthrob among fans. While he might not be the star attraction at the Pink Panthers, recent form at the National Games and a series of videos of his training before the Pro Kabaddi 2022 season has put him back in focus.
At the end of it all, who would not want to see the Rahul Chaudhari of the old, with his super quick hand touches, the clever toe touches & more?
#7 Can coach Ravi Shetty usher in a new dawn at the Patna Pirates?
Two talking points often associated with the Patna Pirates are one, Pardeep Narwal and two, coach Ram Mehar - the latter who guided the team to the PKL 7 title and a final appearance in PKL 8.
Pardeep, on the other hand, will turn out for the UP Yoddhas in his second season with the franchise. Despite both Pardeep and Ram Mehar far from operations at the Pirates, the duo's successful combination has always been a topic that surfaces during PKL.
The Pirates, though, have a new man at the helm of affairs in coach Ravi Shetty, who was the coach of U Mumba when they won the title in 2015. With over two decades of coaching experience at the national and state levels, Shetty commands a very high degree of respect, but to progressively carry that mantle of Patna's success will be a challenge on its own.
One big positive for Shetty is that about 60-65% of the team is similar to the composition from last season, but how he imbibes his kabaddi philosophy in the team throughout the season is an exciting prospect. If that can quell talks of Pardeep and Ram Mehar's past association with Patna, that could well fetch a tag of "job well done".
#8 Can the Puneri Paltan young brigade hold the fort until the Iranians arrive?
Less than a couple of hours into the Pro Kabaddi 2022 auction, the Puneri Paltan stole all the headlines as they signed arguably two of the best foreigners in PKL history as part of their PKL 9 squad.
While seasoned left corner Fazel Atrachali broke his own record and was roped in for ₹1.38 lakhs, Pune also went all-out to secure the services of Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh for ₹87 lakhs. Such was the nature of their aggressive bidding that they only had funds left for the second day's auction where the category C and D players were up for grabs.
With both Fazel and Nabi in the ranks, Pune were among the top favourites to win Pro Kabaddi 2022. However, with visa issues having forced the Iranians to fly home, Pune will be left dependent on all their youngsters to put on a show.
This is the same situation where Pune had their backs to the wall in PKL 8 with all their senior players faltering, and faced with a similar task, the likes of Aslam Inamdar, Mohit Goyat among others might stand tall.
However, a good start is a job half done, and without a senior figure to guide the team on the mat, it remains to be seen if the youngsters can indeed weather the storm early on.
#9 Pawan Sehrawat: The god-sent star to end the Tamil Thalaivas' misery in Pro Kabaddi?
For ardent fans of Pro Kabaddi, there's quite a pattern you can observe in how the Tamil Thalaivas stack up their squad. They often tend to put all their eggs in one basket - be it a star-studded lineup involving the Chhillars, Chaudharis and Thakurs or penning their names down in the history books by emptying their purse on one man.
In the second case, for those in the unknown, the Thalaivas signed Pawan Sehrawat for ₹2.26 Crore in the PKL 9 auction, and admittedly, the management was hell-bent on signing the star raider at any cost.
For starters, it is understandable why. No man has outscored Pawan over the course of the last three PKL seasons, and as stark opposite, there's not been one season where the Thalaivas have not finished last in the Pro Kabaddi points table since their first season in 2017.
So the Thalaivas auction plan seems very transparent. They wanted someone who can single-handedly bring them wins and take them up the ladder - maybe even win them the PKL title. That someone is 'Hi-Flyer' Sehrawat, and while he is going to be the fulcrum around which the team revolves, he might well be the god-sent lad to turn around the Thalaivas' fortunes.
#10 Will the world-beaters squad of Telugu Titans fall to the curse of 'too many cooks spoil the broth'?
If a kabaddi fan had a look at the Telugu Titans' potential starting 7 with no context of PKL, they would not be in the wrong to assume the line-up is fit enough to represent the Indian national team. Okay - maybe a stretch, but there's reason to it.
Ravinder Pahal, Monu Goyat, Surjeet Singh, Siddharth Desai, Parvesh Bhainswal, Abhishek Singh, Vishal Bhardwaj is the expected starting 7 - most of them have already played for India, while a good season for Siddharth or Abhishek could easily find them a spot in the Asian Games 2022 squad.
Yes, there are massive question marks over the form of both Desai and Goyat, but both of them have starred in previous seasons, and there's no reason why they can't repeat the same in PKL 9.
Ahead of Pro Kabaddi 2022, the Titans look world-beaters on paper, but they'll need to be careful and make sure there aren't too many voices on the mat - or else they could go down the Thalaivas' way.
#11 Who will step up and deliver for U Mumba?
This could well be the question that is also the end of the discussion, but as there is with every team, an explanation beckons.
U Mumba released Abhishek Singh ahead of the auction and tried their level best at the auction to sign Pawan Sehrawat, but to no avail. They eventually had to settle for Guman Singh (₹1.21 Cr), and he'll be leading a raiding unit that doesn't boast of star power.
Defence could well be the form of attack for U Mumba, with skipper Surinder Singh set to partner Harendra Kumar and Rinku in a solid defensive combination. Yet, skipper Singh himself is often embroiled in errors, often attempting dashes or holds that should be avoided.
With a new coach also in Anil Chaprana at the top, there are multiple questions around how the team will live up to expectations in Pro Kabaddi 2022.
#12 Will a fit-again UP Yoddhas star Pardeep Narwal cause terror among the defenders?
Ahead of the PKL 8 season, 'Dubki King' Pardeep Narwal shattered the record books by becoming the costliest player in Pro Kabaddi history, signed by the UP Yoddhas for ₹1.65 Crore.
Naturally, all of the UP matches were watched closely to see how Pardeep would live up to his price tag, but frequent fitness issues and lack of confidence meant that the ace raider was a pale shadow of his usually aggressive raiding self.
Pardeep scored just 188 points from 24 matches, an average of 7.83 points per match, nothing close to the expectations that the UP management and fans had from him.
In the pre-season press conference, UP Yoddhas skipper Nitesh Kumar specifically mentioned that Pardeep is "fit and raring to go", sending out alarm bells to the oppositions.
Without Pardeep, UP did very well to qualify for the PKL 8 playoffs, but if their star raider is in form and strikes a partnership with veteran Nitin Tomar, then the Yoddhas could be hard to stop on their way to the Pro Kabaddi 2022 title.
