PKL Auction 2021: Rating the 12 squads

PKL Auction 2021 saw many big developments in the space of three days. The biggest of them all was former Patna Pirates captain Pardeep Narwal becoming the most expensive signing in Pro Kabaddi League history. UP Yoddha secured his services for a whopping ₹1.65 crore.

Meanwhile, Sachin Tanwar and Rohit Gulia, two youngsters who started their careers at Gujarat Giants and achieved a lot of success, earned massive deals from the Patna Pirates and Haryana Steelers respectively.

However, seasoned pros like Deepak Niwas Hooda, Rahul Chaudhari, Rohit Kumar, Manjeet Chhillar and Rishank Devadiga did not receive expected amounts at PKL Auction 2021.

Rating all 12 Pro Kabaddi League teams after PKL Auction 2021

Now that PKL Auction 2021 is in the history books, in this article today, we will rate the squads formed by all 12 franchises for the upcoming edition of the Pro Kabaddi League.

1. Bengal Warriors - 8/10

Defending champions of the Pro Kabaddi League Bengal Warriors had retained their star players Maninder Singh, Mohammad Nabibakhsh and Rinku Narwal ahead of PKL Auction 2021. Their first signing was Iranian defender Abozar Mighani.

The Kolkata-based franchise have great depth in the raiding unit, with the likes of Sukesh Hegde and Rishank Devadiga set to join Maninder and Nabibakhsh. Their corner defenders are also reliable. Bengal have the squad to win the trophy again.

2. Bengaluru Bulls - 8/10

The Bengaluru Bulls retained Pawan Sehrawat before PKL Auction 2021. They let go of Rohit Kumar and added the trio of GB More, Deepak Narwal and Chandran Ranjit to their raid attack. Their overseas raiders Abolfazl Maghsoudlou and Dong Geon Lee also have the experience of playing in PKL.

In the defensive unit, Bengaluru retained the duo of Amit Sheoran and Saurabh Nandal. They bought Mahendra Singh back using the FBM card. Overall, the Bulls look very strong on paper.

3. Dabang Delhi KC - 7/10

Dabang Delhi KC signed some big names like Ajay Thakur, Manjeet Chhillar, Jeeva Kumar, Joginder Narwal and Sandeep Kumar at PKL Auction 2021. They have a ton of experience, but it will be interesting to see how they perform for the Delhi-based franchise.

Last season, Ajay and Manjeet did not achieve much success at Tamil Thalaivas. If the experienced players bring their 'A' game to the table and Naveen Kumar continues his fine form, no team can stop Delhi from winning the PKL.

4. Gujarat Giants - 6/10

Gujarat Giants have one of the best defensive units after PKL Auction 2021. Sunil Kumar, Girish Maruti Ernak, Ravinder Pahal and Parvesh Bhainswal are among the best in the business.

However, their raid attack is inexperienced. Mahendra Rajput, Rathan K, Sonu and Ajay Kumar are promising names but they have not led raiding units in PKL before. It goes without saying that Gujarat's main strength this year is their defense.

5. Haryana Steelers - 7/10

The Haryana Steelers retained their top raiders from last season, Vikash Khandola and Vinay, ahead of PKL Auction 2021. Experienced all-rounder Rajesh Narwal has joined the squad along with former Gujarat Giants captain Rohit Gulia and Brijendra Singh Chaudhary.

The return of Surender Nada and Ravi Kumar have boosted Haryana's defense. However, it remains to be seen if the new signings will be able to perform consistently for the team.

6. Jaipur Pink Panthers - 8/10

Jaipur Pink Panthers retained experienced players Amit Hooda and Nitin Rawal ahead of PKL Auction 2021. They bought their star performers Deepak Niwas Hooda and Sandeep Dhull back using the FBM card.

To add experience to the squad, Jaipur signed veteran defender Dhramaraj Cheralathan. Also, the Pink Panthers spent ₹96 lakh to sign Arjun Deshwal. The Rajasthan-based franchise have thus formed a top-class squad at PKL Auction 2021.

7. Patna Pirates - 6/10

3-time champions Patna Pirates failed to re-sign Pardeep Narwal at PKL Auction 2021. But Ram Meher Singh and Co. did manage to form a stellar group of raiders with Sachin Tanwar, Monu Goyat, Jang Kun Lee and Prashanth Kumar Rai on board.

Patna's defense looks a little weaker this year. Elite Retained Player Neeraj Kumar will have the onus of scoring tackle points consistently for the team in the upcoming season.

8. Puneri Paltan - 8/10

Puneri Paltan had the best PKL Auction 2021. They managed to sign two fantastic corner defenders in Baldev Singh and Vishal Bhardwaj. The Pune-based franchise then added showman Rahul Chaudhari and seasoned campaigner Nitin Tomar to the squad.

Sombir is another talented defender signed by Pune. If Chaudhari and Tomar can perform the way they had in Season 3, 4 and 5 of the Pro Kabaddi League, Puneri Paltan will be unstoppable.

9. Tamil Thalaivas - 6/10

After releasing their big names ahead of PKL Auction 2021, Tamil Thalaivas decided to invest in rising stars. They spent ₹92 lakh to sign former Puneri Paltan all-rounder Manjeet. Another former Puneri Paltan to join the Thalaivas was PO Surjeet Singh.

Raider K Prapanjan received a contract worth ₹71 lakh from the Chennai-based franchise at PKL Auction 2021. With Sagar B. Krishna, Athul MS, Ajinkya Pawar and Sourabh Patil in the squad, Tamil Thalaivas have formed a unit that can win matches. But it will be interesting to see if they can win the competition.

10. Telugu Titans - 6/10

Like Patna Pirates, Telugu Titans have a raid attack that can destroy any defense in the world. Siddharth Desai and Rohit Kumar are two raiders who can score heaps of raid points, but the team's defense does not look strong on paper.

The Titans could not re-sign Vishal Bhardwaj, but they signed their former defender Sandeep. Much will depend on how the likes of Surender Singh, C. Arun, Adarsh T. and Ruturaj Koravi perform in defense.

11. U Mumba - 5/10 (Highest purse value remaining after PKL Auction 2021)

Former PKL winners U Mumba were the only franchise left with more than ₹60 lakh in their auction purse. Surprisingly, the Mumbai-based franchise decided against signing any player from the 'A' category.

It looks like the duo of Fazel Atrachali and Abhishek Singh will have to score points consistently to ensure U Mumba can reach the playoffs. Among the new signings, Ashish Sangwan and Ajith Kumar are expected to deliver the goods for the team.

12. UP Yoddha - 8/10

UP Yoddha had retained two of the most successful defenders from the previous PKL season, Nitesh Kumar and Sumit, ahead of PKL Auction 2021. They then broke the bank to acquire the services of Pardeep Narwal. Soon after, they added Shrikant Jadhav to the squad.

The Uttar Pradesh-based franchise has four players who can single-handedly change the game. The likes of Ashu Singh, Surender Gill, Nitin Panwar and Mohammad Taghi Paein Mahali can be backed to support the star-studded quartet. It won't be a surprise if UP Yoddha win their first-ever PKL title this year.