Pro Kabaddi 2017 Season 5: 5 reasons why Puneri Paltan can win their maiden title

India is all set to witness yet another action-packed season of the Pro Kabaddi League which shall commence later this month on the 28th of July.

However, the PKL, this time around will be one notch above its previous editions given the addition of four new teams in the likes of UP Yoddhas, Tamil Thalaivas, Haryana Steelers and Fortune Giants Gujarat.

As such the season will span across 10 states across India with 12 teams taking the battle across to one-another for a good, extended period of three months, starting on the 28th of July.

One of the teams in the fray is Puneri Paltan, owned by Insurekot Sports Pvt. Ltd. and their journey in the league so far has been one with mixed fortunes of sorts.

The first two seasons of Pro Kabaddi were particularly disappointing for the franchise with successive bottom of the table finishes.

Prior to the third instalment, the think tank revamped the squad by bringing in the likes of Ajay Thakur, Deepak Hooda and Manjeet Chhillar who propelled them to a third place finish.

The fourth season saw a pretty much similar run for the team as they failed to make it to the finals but nonetheless secured a respectable third position on the points tally yet again.

With the fifth season round the corner, the Pune team looks to go out all guns blazing and play with a renewed sense of energy and vigour in order to claim the all-important trophy.

Sportskeeda looks at five reasons which will steer the Puneri Paltan to their maiden Pro Kabaddi title.

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#1: Retaining Deepak Niwas Hooda

The young gun is one of the brightest prospects and is rightly termed as the successor to Manjeet Chhillar given his all-round abilities. He was in stellar form for the last couple of seasons and the franchise showcased faith in him by retaining his services ahead of the player auctions that were held in May.

A swift raider, with his running hand touches and an equally able defender with his timely tackles, Deepak will be the key to Pune's success, as is evident by his numbers, 391 points from 57 matches played so far in the tournament.

Moreover, he has also been named as the captain of the side for the upcoming season and will look to marshal his troops effectively, and not just lead by mere example.

This philosophy was echoed when Deepak was quoted as saying in an earlier interview that, "Earlier I was an aggressive player and used to play for myself. However now, I have to look after the whole team. It’s definitely challenging but I am up for it. I have become more responsible as the team depends on me."

#2: Recruiting Sandeep Narwal

Sandeep was a part of the Indian team that won the Kabaddi World Cup last October

Getting this player to feature on the team's roster will not only enhance the confidence of the side but also lead to a better overall performance on the mat given his all-round abilities.

Sandeep burst on to the kabaddi scene as a full-fledged raider with the Patna Pirates since the inception of the PKL but soon showcased the other side to his style of play and was adjudged as an able defender as well.

In fact, he claimed the Best Defender award at the end of the third season before he made the switch to Telugu Titans for the fourth edition.

His numbers stand as a testament to his plethora of skills, 171 raid points and 161 defence points from the 62 matches he has featured in so far in the tournament.

#3: Experienced campaigners to guide the team

Cheralathan won the PKL title with the Patna Pirates in Season 4

The Puneri Paltan think tank made some ideal buys at the player auctions in May and these included the likes of Dharmaraj Cheralathan, Rajesh Mondal and Girish Ernak; all of whom have years of experience by their side in order to guide the team.

Cheralathan, the 42-year old defender has the knack of playing in either of the corner positions and has amassed over 150 defence points. He will be supported by Girish Ernak who plied his trade for the Bengal Warriors and has over 100 tackle points to his credit.

As for Rajesh Mondal, he will assist the attack alongside Deepak Hooda, and look to boost his tally of 156 raid points and thus ensure that the score board keeps ticking for Puneri Paltan.

#4: The exuberance of youth

Rohit Kumar Chaudhary played for Dabang Delhi in the previous editions

The raiders who will lead the charge alongside their young skipper, Deepak Hooda are quite similar to him when it comes to age!

Umesh Mhatre has given glimpses of talent in the very few matches that he has featured and will hopefully impress if given the opportunity to play in the starting seven.

As for Rohit Kumar Chaudhary, he will be a major force to reckon with for the rival defenders, because if he gets going, he can single-handedly win the match for his team, as was evident in his stint with Dabang Delhi wherein he gathered 77 raid points from his 22 matches.

#5: Coach BC Ramesh

BC Ramesh has been conferred with the Arjuna award.

The Arjuna awardee has been a former captain of the Indian national team, and not only that but also featured in the gold medal winning squad of the Asian Games at Busan and Bangkok, and thus knows exactly what it takes to win a championship.

So the Puneri Paltan players have an ideal role model to look up to while as the coach BC Ramesh will ensure that his team is excelling in all departments whether it is performance, fitness, tactics or coordination on the mat.

He seemed confident of his team's chances when he was quoted as saying in an earlier interview that, “So close yet so far, is what aptly defines our team. Last two seasons, we finished third. But this year, it will be different. The title will be ours.”