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The seventh season of the much anticipated Pro Kabaddi League is all set to kick off from July 20, 2019, at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad.
Telugu Titans will be the first team to play their home leg and have been a part of the league since the first edition of the league. Up until the last season, kabaddi's 'poster boy' Rahul Chaudhari was a crucial part of their squad and for Pro Kabaddi 2019, he will turn out for the Tamil Thalaivas.
The Titans' journey in the league, however, has been full of ups and downs. Having finished in fifth place from the inaugural season, they put up a fine performance in the second season to finish second on the points table.
They almost reached the finale in the fourth season but could only claim the fourth position in the end. However, over the past two seasons, the Telugu Titans' performance has been pretty underwhelming.
From the season 7 auctions, the Titans made heads turn by shelling out a whopping ₹145 lakh for the services of Siddharth Sirish Desai and also did well to bring back the services of ace corner defenders Abozar Mighani and Vishal Bhardwaj.
As we build up to Pro Kabaddi 2019, here is a look at three players who can make a massive impact for the Telugu Titans.
#3 Vishal Bhardwaj
Vishal Bhardwaj was snapped up by the Telugu Titans' management for a total of ₹60 lakhs. The corner defender made his debut in the Pro Kabaddi League with the Telugu Titans, in the fourth season of PKL but played only two matches and scored seven points.
His performance in the fifth season was terrific as he ended up third on the best defenders' list. Only 20 years of age at that time, he scored an impressive 71 points in 22 matches and improved his strike rate in season 6, picking up 60 points from 17 matches.
With his partnership alongside Abozar Mighani set to come to light yet again for season 7, Vishal's proficiency will be key for the Titans.
#2 Abozar Mohajermighani
A burly defender from Iran, Abozar Mighani made his debut in the fifth season of the league for the Gujarat Fortune Giants. His performance at the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup was magnificent, his partnership with Fazel Atrachali been the major standout that handed Iran easy wins.
Playing his first season in PKL, Abozar was in fine form, notching up 66 points from 24 matches, including two High 5s to finish as the fifth best defender for the season. Quite surprisingly, the Fortune Giants released him and the corner defender was signed up by the Telugu Titans for ₹76 lakh.
He was not at his best in season 6, as some advance tackles and weak ankle holds saw him give away easy points to the opposition raiders under pressure. From 21 matches, Abozar picked up just 56 points but had four High 5s from the season.
For season 7, Abozar will play alongside Vishal Bhardwaj but will have yet another challenge, to lead the Titans to an elusive title win as captain of the side.
#1 Siddharth Sirish Desai
Siddharth Sirish Desai was the costliest player of the season 7 auctions, as he was signed up by the Telugu Titans for a sum of ₹1.45 crore, on the back of a magnificent debut season with U Mumba.
Known for his extreme raiding skills, Desai has been compared to top-rated players like Rahul Chaudhari and record-breaker Pardeep Narwal. In just his debut season, he scored 221 points in 21 matches, a stunning feat as he also became the fastest raider to reach multiple landmarks.
A master of the running hand touch, Desai was absolutely unstoppable, mixing his raiding with bonus attempts and touch attempts as he reached his first five Super 10s in just six games for U Mumba.
However, in a shocking move, U Mumba did not retain their star raider for season 7 and he will turn out for the Telugu Titans, under the tutelage of Iranian coach Gholamreza Mazandarani.
