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The VIVO Pro Kabaddi League Auction took place during the 8th and 9th of April, and it was nothing short of electrifying.
The two days saw many players shifting loyalties to different teams. Two such players were Rahul Chaudhari and Jang Kun Lee, who will represent a new franchise for the first time ever.
While Rahul ended his six-season long association with the Telugu Titans, Lee made the move from Bengal Warriors to neighbors, Patna Pirates. Meanwhile, Rahul moved south to the Tamil Thalaivas.
Siddharth Desai, who was excellent for U Mumba in his debut season moved to the Titans for a massive ₹1.45 crore.
Nitin Tomar was the other player who managed to breach the ₹1 crore mark, as he was sold for ₹1.2 crore. Rahul Chaudhari and Monu Goyat emerged as the other top buys, as they were sold for ₹94 Lakh and ₹93 Lakh.
Iranian star, Mohammad Nabibaksh was the costliest overseas player, as he pocketed a cool ₹77.75 Lakh.
The pre-season battle was done at the auction, and it is now time for the actual battle on the mat that will kick-off in July. In light of that, we shall rate all the squads, and look at how strong they are on paper.
#12 Haryana Steelers- 5/10
Raiders: Vikash Khandola, Prashant Kumar Rai, Vinay, Naveen, K Selvamani
Defenders: Ravi Kumar, Dharmaraj Cheralathan, Vikas Kale, Vikram Kandola, Subash Narwal
All-rounders: Kuldeep Singh, Amir Hossein Maleki, Tin Phonchoo
Haryana Steelers had a disastrous season last time around, and majority of the blame should be taken by the defenders. They average nearly 9 tackle points per game, something that is just unacceptable at this level.
The Haryana-based franchise haven't done a whole lot to rectify those problems. While they did buy Dharmaraj Cheralathan, he is past his prime and isn't the same player anymore.
Even the likes of Ravi Kumar, Vikas Kale and Kuldeep Singh haven't been in great form. While their defense isn't the best of the lot, their raiding unit is excellent.
Iranian defender, Amir Hossein Maleki will have to play a crucial role for the team and a lot will depend on him, when it comes to the defense.
They have Vikash Khandola and Prashant Kumar Rai in their ranks who are both coming off good PKL seasons.
Naveen was highly impressive for the Steelers' last season. Selvamani is also a proven performer in the PKL and will be their back-up raider.
For the Haryana Steelers to qualify, they will need their defense to step up and support the raiders.
#11 Patna Pirates- 5.5/10
Raiders: Pardeep Narwal, Jang Kun Lee, Mohammad Maghsodlou, Mohit, Vikas Jaglan, Ravinder, Naveen, Purna, Jawahar Dagar, Ashish, Mohit
Defenders: Surender Nada, Jaideep, Mahendra Chaudhry, Neeraj Kumar
All-rounders: Hadi Oshtorak, Ravinder
Patna Pirates have a lot of unknown and inexperienced players in their squad, and whether it turns out to be a good strategy, is something that only time can say.
They have Pardeep Narwal in their ranks and he will be accompanied by foreign stars such as Jang Kun Lee and Mohammad Maghsodlou.
They have two world-class defenders in the form of Surender Nada and Jaideep. However, there is a slight concern for them. Both of them are left corner defenders so, only one of them can be accommodated in the starting seven.
Considering the price tag and experience, Nada will get the nod. They spent ₹35 Lakh on Jaideep and that might not be the best of investments.
The other defenders are either inexperienced or haven't exactly set the stage on fire. So, it is safe to say that their hopes will once again, depend on an inhumane performance from Pardeep Narwal.
If it turns out to be a one-man-show from Patna like the last time around, they could end up in the bottom half of the table.
#10 U Mumba- 5.5/10
Raiders: Arjun Deshwal, Rohit Baliyan, Gaurav Kumar, Dong Geon Lee, Athul MS, Abhishek Singh, Vinoth Kumar
Defenders: Fazel Atrachali, Anil, Young Chang Ko, Rajaguru Subramaniam, Harsh Vardhan, Harendra Kumar, Surinder Singh
All-rounders: Mohit Balyan, Sandeep Narwal, Ajinkya Rohidas Kapre
U Mumba has been one of the better teams in the history of the league and have always boasted of an experienced team.
However, they took a sharp turn last season and changed their strategy. They went in with a youthful squad, which had many inexperienced players.
The team bought the likes of Fazel and Cheralathan to guide the group in the right direction and they made their way into the play-offs.
They have a mighty defense with Fazel Atrachali, Sandeep Narwal, Young Chang Ko and Surinder Singh.
Their defense was the best among all the teams last season, and they had a Siddharth Desai who marshaled the raiding department.
They shockingly released the star raider, and it came back to bite them, since they couldn't even use the FBM card to rope him back.
Their raiding department will now rely heavily in Rohit Baliyan. He was impressive as a secondary raider for U Mumba, but the role of a primary raider might prove to be a tough ask for him. Their defense will manage to put in a solid performance, but their hopes will hinge on Rohit Baliyan and co.
#9 Bengal Warriors- 6/10
Raiders: Maninder Singh, Mohammad Taghi, K Prapanjan, Sukesh Hegde, Bhuvneshwar Gaur, Rakesh Narwal, Amit Kumar
Defenders: Baldev Singh, Adarsh T, Sahil, Rinku Narwal, Jeeva Kumar, Viraj Vishnu Langde, Dharmendra Singh, Vijin Thangadurai
All-rounders: Ravindra Ramesh Kumawat, Mohammad Nabibaksh, Amar Santosh, Avinash A.R
Bengal Warriors don't seem to have a better squad than last season and hence, might not be the happiest of teams at present. While they managed to rope in a plethora of raiders to support Maninder Singh, their defense could prove to be their Achilles Heel.
While they do have some good defenders such as Rinku Narwal, Jeeva Kumar and Viraj Langde, they don't seem to have anybody who has the capability to accumulate 60-65 tackle points in a single season.
Mohammad Nabibaksh will be playing his first season of the PKL and will have to play a crucial role for the franchise. His exceptional raiding skills coupled with his defensive might, could make him one to watch out for.
Moving to the raiding side of things, Bengal Warriors' raiders could be difficult to handle for opposition teams. Other than Maninder Singh, the team boasts of Sukesh Hegde, Prapanjan and Mohammad Taghi. They have a decent squad, but their chances will hinge on the performance of the Indian defenders.
#8 UP Yoddha- 6/10
Raiders: Azad Singh, Masud Karim, Rishank Devadiga, Monu Goyat, Shrikant Jadhav, Ankush, Gulveer Singh, Surender Singh
Defenders: Amit Narwal, Nitesh Kumar, Sachin Kumar, Aashish Nagar
All-rounders: Arkam Shaikh, Mohsen Maghsoudlou, Narender, Gurdeep
UP Yoddha has a highly dangerous raiding unit with the likes of Rishank Devadiga, Shrikant Jadhav and Monu Goyat. They are all proven performers and could wreak havoc as a combination. To have a player like Mohsen Maghsoudlou as your fourth or fifth raider, just shows how good a raising department they have.
They have also kept hold of Nitesh Kumar, who led the defense last season. However, he doesn't have any other proven defenders, and he will once again, be under pressure to deliver. He will play alongside his brother, Gurdeep in the upcoming season.
While the raiding trio and Nitesh Kumar will definitely perform well, the rest of their squad doesn't ooze a whole lot of confidence. Thus, their chances of qualification will once again, depend on some outrageously good performances.
#7 Telugu Titans- 6/10
Raiders: Siddharth Sirish Desai, Suraj Desai, Amit Kumar, Mula Siva Ganesh Reddy, Rakesh Gowda,
Defenders: Farhad Milaghardan, Krushna Madane, Abozar Mighani, Akash Choudhary, C Arun, Manish,
All-rounders: Vishal Bhardwaj, Duet Jennings, Armaan
Telugu Titans will start a new era after they parted ways with talisman, Rahul Chaudhari. The Poster Boy of PKL was a great servant for them, and fans will surely miss him. However, they roped in Siddharth Sirish Desai to make up for the Rahul's absence. They have also let go of secondary raider, Nilesh Salunke so, they don't have a proven secondary raider.
Siddharth's brother, Suraj will play for the Titans as well. Suraj Desai was a highly rated raider in the domestic circles.
He was bought by Dabang Delhi in one of the previous seasons for a huge amount, but he couldn't feature due to an injury. Telugu Titans will be hoping that the brothers can wreak havoc on the mat together.
The make-up of their defense is pretty much similar to the one they had last season. They roped in C Arun for a bargain price of ₹10 Lakh. He could solve their problems in the cover position.
Overall, they have a good defense along with a top-notch raider in the form of Siddharth. Their qualification hopes will depend on how their support raiders perform.
#6 Bengaluru Bulls- 6.5/10
Raiders: Rohit Kumar, Pawan Sehrawat, Banty, Sumit Singh, Lal Mohar Yadav, Vinod Kumar
Defenders: Ashish Kumar, Amit Sheoran, Mahender Singh, Vijay Kumar, Aman, Raju Lal Choudhary, Sandeep, Vijay Kumar
All-rounders: Sanjay Shrestha, Mohit Sehrawat
Bengaluru Bulls have managed to retain many of their players from last season. 2 of the most important players in the form of Rohit Kumar and Pawan Sehrawat are still a part of the squad.
They will once again lead from the front, and the Bulls will believe that can win any game with these 2 raiders in their team.
Their cover combination of Ashish Kumar and Mahender Singh is still present. Mahender Singh is one of the best defenders in the country, and his presence will shore up the defense. Their corners were woeful last season, and they didn't do anything to rectify that. They won the title last season, because of an earth-shattering performance from Pawan Sehrawat.
It would be quite foolish of the team to expect the youngster to carry them into the play-offs again, and they should have tried to rope in a proven performer. However, they failed to do that, and they have stuck with Raju Lal Choudhary and Sandeep. Whether this will come back to bite them, only time can tell.
#5 Puneri Paltan- 7/10
Raiders: Nitin Tomar, Pawan Kumar Kadian, Manjeet, Darshan Kadian, Amit Kumar, Emad Sedaghat
Defenders: Girish Ernak, Surjeet Singh, Hadi Tajik, Satpal, Jadhav Balasaheb Shahaji, Deepak Yadav
All-rounders: Sagar B Krishna
Puneri Paltan have a well-balanced squad and will be feeling quite confident heading into the next season. They have a certain Nitin Tomar to lead their raiding unit, and he will be supported by the likes of Manjeet and Pawan Kumar Kadian.
Their defensive side of things are also well sorted with strong and proven performers like Girish Ernak, Surjeet Singh and Hadi Tajik.
They have a lot of versatile players in the squad, something that always helps. Girish Ernak can play at any defensive position, and even Surjeet Singh can shift positions. Apart from the players, their new coach, Anup Kumar's presence will also play a defining role.
He has been there and done it before for Pune's rivals, U Mumba. He is known to be a good man-manager and his calming influence will have a say in their bid for the title.
#4 Dabang Delhi- 7/10
Raiders: Chandran Ranjit, Naveen, Neeraj Narwal,
Defenders: Joginder Narwal, Ravinder Pahal, Vishal Mane, Satyawan D, Anil Kumar, Sombir, Pratik Patil, Saeid Ghaffari,
All-rounders: Meraj Sheykh, Vijay
Dabang Delhi had a decent auction and would be pretty satisfied with the work they have done. They have defenders such as Ravinder Pahal, Joginder Narwal, Vishal Mane and Sombir. They also have an Iranian powerhouse in the form of Saeid Ghaffari to man the defensive side of things.
They still have the raiding trio of Meraj Sheykh, Naveen and Chandran Ranjit from last season. They were outstanding for the team last season and played a key role for the Delhi-based franchise.
They have made an excellent addition to their squad in the form of Vijay. He has been highly impressive for Patna Pirates over the last couple of seasons, and he will have a crucial role to play.
While they have a good starting seven, they could have a problem or 2 when one of their raiders injure themselves. They are relatively slim on stocks in the raiding department, and an injury to one of them, could derail their campaign.
#3 Jaipur Pink Panthers- 7.5/10
Raiders: Deepak Hooda, Ajinkya Pawar, Lokesh Kaushik, Sushil Gulia, Deepak Narwal, Nilesh Salunke, Milinda Chaturanga, Guman Singh
Defenders: Sandeep Dhull, Amit Hooda, Sunil Siddhgavali, Karamvir, Vishal Lather
All-rounders: Pavan T.R, Sachin Narwal, Kim Dong Kyu
Jaipur Pink Panthers had a superb squad last season, but still couldn't manage to find a place in the play-offs. Last season, they went for reputation, but this season they seemed to have preferred effectiveness over reputation.
They will be led by star raider, Deepak Niwas Hooda who will have Nilesh Salunke and Deepak Narwal deputizing for him in the raid department.
Their corner positions look dangerous with Amit Hooda on the right and Sandeep Dhull on the left. Sunil Siddhgavali, who impressed for them last season, will again play for the Jaipur-based team.
They look like a decent team on paper, but it is the performances that matter more than anything else.
#2 Gujarat Fortunegiants- 8/10
Raiders: Sachin Tanwar, Lalit Chaudhary, Abolfazl Maghsodlou, More GB, Abhishek, Gurvinder Singh, Sonu,
Defenders: Sunil Kumar, Parvesh Bhainswal, Sonu Gahlawat, Ruturaj Koravi, Amit
All-rounders: Rohit Gulia, Vinod Kumar, Pankaj, Mohammad Shazid Hossain
Gujarat Fortunegiants have finished second best for consecutive seasons. While it was Patna Pirates who defeated them first, it was Bengaluru Bulls who outperformed them last season.
They have managed to keep their core group intact with key players such as Sachin, Sunil Kumar and Parvesh Bhainswal still in the squad.
They had the second best defence last season, and they have managed to keep hold of 3 of those four defenders. Their raiding unit will once again be led by Sachin, who will have Rohit Gulia and Gurvinder Singh for company.
The presence of More GB and Abolfazl will give a significant boost to their raiding department.
On the whole, their squad seems well balanced, and their coach, Manpreet Singh seems to have continued with his strategy from the last 2 seasons- 1 brilliant raider with able support and a rock solid defense.
#1 Tamil Thalaivas- 9/10
Raiders: Ajay Thakur, Rahul Chaudhari, Shabeer Bappu, Vineet Kumar, V Ajith Kumar, Yashwant Bishnoi
Defenders: Himanshu, M Abhishek, Milad Shiebak, Mohit Chhillar, Ajeet,
All-rounders: Manjeet Chillar, Victor Onyango Obiero, Ran Singh
Tamil Thalaivas have made some seriously good additions to their squad and look determined to qualify for the play-offs this season. They retained two of Kabaddi's best players, Ajay Thakur and Manjeet Chillar.
They made a massive addition to their squad by bringing in Rahul Chaudhari. The addition of Rahul means that Ajay Thakur will have some support and both of them will have a lot of freedom.
Their defense has the likes of Mohit Chhillar, Manjeet Chillar and Ran Singh. They also have Iranian defender, Milad Shiebak in their ranks and they will start as early favorites. With the squad they have, it would be a disaster for them if they don't qualify.
