PKL 2019 : Top 3 players to look out from Jaipur Pink Panthers

The champions of the maiden edition of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), Jaipur Pink Panthers have reshuffled their entire squad for the upcoming season. They have let go big names like Mohit Chhillar, and have entrusted the responsibilities to the younger shoulders.

The Abhishek Bachchan owned franchise retained their star all-rounders Deepak Niwas Hooda and Nitin Rawal besides defenders Sunil Siddhagavali and Sandeep Dhull, ahead of the season and the team management went for younger stars in the auction.

The Pink Panthers purchased the services of lesser-known players Sachin Narwal, Guman Singh, Lokesh Kaushik, Karamvir, Sushil Gulia and Ajinkya Pawar. They also recruited two foreign stars, Dong Gyu Kim and Malinda Chaturanga.

Shifting our focus to the team’s experienced players now, Jaipur bought Nilesh Salunkhe, Deepak Narwal and Amit Hooda in the auction. The Pink Panthers have assembled a strong squad for season seven and here are the 3 Jaipur players to watch out for -

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#3 Nilesh Salunkhe

Nilesh Salunkhe played for Telugu Titans last year

Seasoned campaigner, Nilesh Salunkhe found himself a new home when he joined the Jaipur Pink Panthers ahead of the seventh season of Pro Kabaddi. Salunkhe has a ton of PKL experience under his belt, having played 62 matches in the league already.

The running hand-touch specialist played the role of the second raider to perfection for Telugu Titans last season. Jaipur Pink Panthers would hope that Nilesh maintains his consistency this year as well and supports the likes of Deepak Niwas Hooda, Nitin Rawal and Deepak Narwal.

Salunkhe has even scored 4 Super 10's in his career, which shows that he has the potential to step up and deliver the goods when his team is in trouble.

#2 Amit Hooda

Amit Hooda had been a star for Jaipur Pink Panthers in season 4

Right corner defender, Amit Hooda, has returned to the Jaipur Pink Panthers franchise after a gap of two seasons. Hooda represented the Tamil Thalaivas in season 5 and season 6, but never was he able to match the consistency levels that he had while he played for Jaipur.

In the only season Hooda played for Jaipur, he emerged as the 2nd best defender of the league that season, with 51 tackle points to his name. Amit had an average of 2.93 tackle points per match in season 4. Having a look at his overall numbers, the ankle hold specialist has played 72 PKL matches where he has scored 193 tackle points.

Given that Jaipur have a lot of youngsters in their defensive unit, the onus will be on Amit Hooda to lead the defense of the franchise.

#1 Deepak Niwas Hooda

Deepak Niwas Hooda had impressed the fans with his raiding performance in season six

India's top all-rounder, Deepak Niwas Hooda was the cornerstone of the Jaipur Pink Panthers side in season 6. Though Deepak had the support of experienced players, Anup Kumar and Mohit Chhillar, he could not take the Jaipur franchise to the next round. However, Hooda shone as an individual, scoring 208 points in 22 matches.

He registered 10 Super 10's and one High 5 in the previous edition, which took his overall tally to 24 Super 10's and 4 High 5's.

Besides being the third highest point scorer of the league, Deepak is also the most experienced player of the Jaipur squad and hence, he will have the responsibility of guiding his troops throughout the season.

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Jaipur Pink Panthers will kick off their season against U Mumba on 22nd July. How far do you think will the Pink Panthers reach in season seven? Share your opinions in the comments section below.

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