Pro Kabaddi 2019: 3 reasons why the Patna Pirates could win the title

#1 Renowned foreign names in the line-up

Patna has three overseas players in their squad.

South Korean star raider Jang Kun Lee, Iranian raider Mohammad Esmaeil Maghsoudlou Mahali and all rounder Hadi Oshtorak are the three overseas players in Patna Pirates' team. Jang Kun Lee is the most successful overseas raider, with 411 raid points from 90 matches at an average of 4.57 raid points per match, including 14 Super Raids and nine Super 10s.

Jang Kun Lee is one of the most dependable raiders, especially under crunch situations like the Do-or-Die junctions. Earlier, he represented the Bengal Warriors from season 1 to season 6 and will be playing for only his second franchise when he steps on to the mat for the Pirates.

Iranian all-rounder Hadi Oshtorak has played for a number of different teams such as the Telugu Titans, U Mumba, Gujarat Fortunegiants and now he is back with Patna Pirates. Hadi was a part of the Patna Pirates in seasons 3 and 4. He scored 69 tackle and 7 raid points in 50 matches.

Iran's Mohammad Esmaeil was an integral part of the silver medal-winning Iran team at the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup and Dubai Kabaddi Masters 2018. He scored 27 raid points in four matches at an average of 6.75 raid points in the Kabaddi Masters.

In the Asian Games 2018 semi-final versus India, Esmaeil notched up a brilliant High 5 which led his team to a gold medal finish. He raids from the right side and can execute dives from the cover defense.

The form of these three foreign signings could undoubtedly have a massive impact on how far the Pirates go in this season.