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VIVO Pro Kabaddi 2019 is set to commence from 20th July 2019. This season will witness a new format with all teams scheduled to play two matches against their opposition with a single points table.
Bengaluru Bulls won their maiden Pro Kabaddi title last year. They achieved this milestone courtesy of the brilliance of Pawan Sehrawat in the raiding department and the composed captaincy of Rohit Kumar.
Pawan Sehrawat astonished everybody by becoming the best raider of the tournament from the first match to the final where his heroics of 22 raid points scripted an epic comeback to win the title. He scored 49.54% of Bengaluru Bulls' raid points last season.
Rohit Kumar focused on his captaincy in Season 6 where he played as a support to Pawan Sehrawat in the raiding. The defense led by Mahender Singh performed consistently under the guidance of their coach Randhir Singh and it played a vital role for Bulls' title victory in Season 6.
Bengaluru retained Rohit Kumar, Pawan Sehrawat, Ashish Sangwan, Amit Sheoran, Sumit Singh, Ankit (NYP), and Ajay (NYP) ahead of Season 7 auction.
With Randhir Singh Sehrawat as the head coach, the team signed 18 players into their squad with Mahender Singh being the most expensive buy for them at 80 lakhs.
As Pro Kabaddi is about to kick-start soon, let's take a look at three reasons why Bengaluru Bulls can retain their Pro Kabaddi title this year:
#1 The raiding duo of Pawan Sehrawat and Rohit Kumar
After getting fewer chances to show his caliber in his first three seasons, Pawan Sehrawat became a breakout star in Season 6. His coach, Randhir Singh believed in Pawan's potential and nurtured his talent while he shattered records last year.
Pawan became the best raider of Season 6 with 271 raid points in 24 matches at an average of 11.29 raid points.
With 13 super 10s and 12 super raids to his name, Pawan crossed every hurdle in the opposition's defense with his hand touches, escapes, jumps, and even dubkis.
Joining him will be the new 'Captain Cool' of Pro Kabaddi, Rohit Kumar who scored 162 raid points out of 24 matches as a support raider to Pawan Sehrawat. He prioritized upon his captaincy and raided during the pressure situations that helped the team book crucial wins.
The combination of these two-star raiders is capable of taking any defense down with their precise raiding moves. It could yet again be the year of Bengaluru Bulls if the duo of Rohit and Pawan raid efficiently similar to last season.
#2 Retained the core which won them the title last year
Bengaluru Bulls were perhaps a silent team at the auction of Season 7 as they aimed at buying only those players who were the part of their title-winning squad last season. They retained their captain and top performer of the season, Rohit Kumar and Pawan Sehrawat.
At the auction, they bought back their most successful defender in Mahender Singh by using the FBM card at 80 lakhs. While they had retained left corner defender, Amit Sheoran, Bulls purchased Raju Lal Chaudhary back into their team. They kept Ashish Sangwan, Sumit Singh, Ankit (NYP), Ajay (NYP) and Sandeep in their squad.
The retention of their core allows the head coach to explain the tactics required for the games without any pressure of throwing away opportunities to the new members. The team's surrounding becomes familiar with every player understanding their role to play.
One of the attractive sides of Season 6, Bengaluru Bulls showed competitiveness and a need-to-win attitude with sheer ferociousness. If they continue to do the same in the upcoming tournament as a unit, Bulls can perhaps retain their Pro Kabaddi title for the second time in a row.
#3 A competitive and youthful defensive line-up
One of the emerging left cover defenders of Pro Kabaddi, 'The Bulldozer' Mahender Singh had a brilliant season last year with 63 tackle points in 24 matches at an average of 2.63 tackle points with his diving holds and body blocks.
Supporting him in the cover defense will be Ashish Sangwan whom the team management has shown faith upon for many seasons now. He has become a vital member of the team with him understanding the game in the defensive aspect of the side.
Amit Sheoran emerged as the team's dependable left corner in season 6 where he scored 38 tackle points in 15 matches. He became a prominent defender for the team and the upcoming season promises to become much better with the mix of talent and experience of the inaugural season.
The team has signed Raju Lal Chaudhary yet again for the upcoming season along with Vijay Kumar who is a former Services player and has represented Patna Pirates in the past. The team paid 21.25 lakhs to Vijay who could get considered if things don't work well with Raju Lal Chaudhary.
The team with a young defence, Bulls have filled their line-up with all potent stars who are match-winners on their own. It will help the raiders to perform freely without any pressure.
Bengaluru Bulls also have Mohit Sehrawat (right cover), Aman, Sandeep, Saurabh Nandal (left corner), Ajay and Amit in their team as substitutional picks.
While the raiders win matches for Bulls, it could be yet again the defense that leads them to win the tournament in Season 7.
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