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Vivo Pro Kabaddi 2019 will start from 20th July 2019, with twelve teams in the reckoning for a shot at the title. The seventh season will see all teams will play each other twice in the group stage. The seventh season of Pro Kabaddi will witness a new format following the removal of inter-zonal, intra-zonal, and wildcard matches.
Telugu Titans, one of the teams which have been featuring in the league since the inception of the tournament are yet to win a Pro Kabaddi title. 'Poster boy' Rahul Chaudhari, having played five seasons with the Titans will be featuring for his first ever side other than the Titans when he turns out for the Tamil Thalaivas.
From the auctions, the Titans roped in the likes of Siddharth Desai, Suraj Desai, C Arun, and successfully retained the services of Abozar Mighani and Vishal Bhardwaj through the exercising of the 'Final Bid Match' card.
The Titans are set to play their first match against U Mumba in the opening fixture of season 7 at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad. The Titans' home leg will begin on 20th July and culminate on 26th July 2019.
Here is a look at why the Titans could be backed to clinch their first ever Pro Kabaddi League title.
#3 The raiding wonderboy, Siddharth Sirish Desai
Maharashtrian raiding sensation Siddharth Sirish Desai became the costliest player in Season 7 auctions, with his services being signed up for ₹1.45 crores by the Telugu Titans. Siddharth had a terrific season 6 with 218 raid points to his name from 21 matches played.
He became the highlight of season 6 by clinching the 'best debutant' of the season award. Desai was right on the mark from the opening game of the league, as he went on to clinch 15 points from the season opener against the Puneri Paltan.
As the league progressed, his performance touched new heights. Desai became the fastest played to score 50 raid points, reaching the landmark in just four matches. He became the first player to score 200 raid points in a debut season. With 10 Super 10s and 15 Super Raids to his name, he put up a stunning show in only his debut season.
Desai uses the running hand touch while raiding and also escapes from the defense. If the lanky raider can re-produce his magic from season 6, he can be banked to lead the Titans single-handedly to a title win.
#2 Best corner defense duo in Abozar Mighani and Vishal Bhardwaj
Hailing from Himachal Pradesh, Vishal Bhardwaj is known for tackling the best of raiders in the business without much fuss. He had an outstanding campaign for the Titans in season 5 as he scored 71 tackle points in 22 matches at an average of 3.23 tackle points.
In season 6, Vishal notched up 60 tackle points from just 17 matches, at an average of 3.53 tackle points per game. He is brilliant with his ankle holds where he executes a firm grip with his upper body strength.
Iranian defender Abozar Mohajermighani debuted with the Gujarat Fortune Giants in season 5 but soon shifted to the Telugu Titans in season 6 from which he notched up 56 tackle points in 21 matches.
Abozar and Vishal combined to score approximately 49.78% of the tackle points of the total tackle points (116 tackle points combined) for Titans last year. Such stats prove their dominance in the defensive unit, which will be crucial to bring down the best of raiders.
#1 Young guns in the raiding line-up with formidable covers
The Telugu Titans team have many young raiders in the squad. Apart from Siddharth Desai, the team will rely on youngsters such as Rajnish, Kamal Singh, Ankit Beniwal, Amit Kumar, M Ganesh Reddy, and Rakesh Gowda to produce the goods under pressure.
Rajnish, Armaan Raj and Kamal Singh can be good options to claim a spot as the the third raider. They showed a glimpse of their skill in the last season whenever they got a chance and will need to make a mark in this edition.
Talking about the cover defenders, C. Arun, who has represented the Tamil Thalaivas previously could play as the left cover defender in the initial stages of the tournament. He has 36 tackle points from 20 matches at an average of 1.5 tackle points per game. Krushna Madane could be his replacement.
For the place of right cover, there is Iranian all-rounder Farhad Rahimi Milaghardan. He has 25 tackle points out of 22 games with an average of 2.14 tackle points.
With a number of exciting youngsters set to feature for the Titans, the proficiency of these youngsters could go a long way in leading the Titans to their first ever title win.
