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VIVO Pro Kabaddi League is all set to enter its 7th edition in July, 2019 as the Kabaddi fans will get a chance to witness their favorite heroes take the center stage once again.
Bengaluru Bulls won the previous PKL season after defeating Gujarat Fortune Giants in the season finale.
All the teams were then given ample amount of time to work on their squad composition and strategies before coming into the player auction of 2019.
Most of the consistent players of the team were retained ahead of the auction while the teams tried to pick some 'X-factor' players.
X-factor players are those who can change the outcome of the match at any moment. He is someone who will score a super raid when the team needs points or executes a super tackle when the team is on the brink of an all-out.
In this article, we will have a look at the 'X-factor' players of each team.
#1 Bengaluru Bulls - Pawan Kumar Sehrawat
Pawan Sehrawat emerged as one of the biggest surprises of season 6. He had not been able to perform well, but his performances last year took Bengaluru Bulls to their maiden title.
With 282 points in 24 matches, Pawan proved why the coach of Bengaluru, Randhir Singh believes in him so much.
He had been successful in executing 12 super raids last year and he often saved his team from losing. Thus, he will the team's X-factor this year as well.
#2 Bengal Warriors - Maninder Singh
Another raider who can turn the game anytime with his quick raids, Maninder Singh, will be Bengal Warriors' 'X-factor' in season 7. This year, he will not have the support of Surjeet in the defence but he will have Iranian defender Mohammad Nabibaksh in his team.
Irrespective of how the defense plays, Mani has to maintain his consistency in the league because he is the sole player in the team who can be called a match-winner.
Surely, Sukesh Hegde and K Prapanjan will support him but Singh's performances will decide where the Bengal Warriors finish in the points table.
#3 Dabang Delhi K.C. - Meraj Sheykh
Though his performances have not been upto the mark in the last two seasons, one cannot simply deny the fact that this guy, Meraj Sheykh, can turn the game as and when he wants.
The all-rounder has the ability to score multi-point raids while also gathering some crucial points while defending as well.
Delhi made it to the play-offs for the first time in season 6 and if they want to improve their performance this year then Sheykh will be their go-to man.
#4 Gujarat Fortune Giants - Sachin Tanwar
Sachin Tanwar has been the face of the Gujarat Fortune Giants ever since the franchise made its PKL debut in season 5. The Rajasthan-born raider has been the key reason behind Gujarat's immense success in the PKL.
With more than 14 Super 10s to his name, the fans consider Sachin as the best young raider of the league. But the raider has even executed 3 super tackles for his team which shows that he is a complete Kabaddi player.
#5 Haryana Steelers - Vikash Khandola
Haryana Steelers failed miserably in the sixth edition of the PKL after having a dream debut in season 5.
The key reason behind their failure was the players' inability to fire in unison. This year they have a weaker squad on paper but the young lads can spring some surprises if they play as one unit.
Khandola needs to spearhead the raiding department and given how he has turned matches in Haryana's favor in the past, we can back him to emerge as the 'X-factor' of the team this year.
#6 Jaipur Pink Panthers - Deepak Niwas Hooda
Season one champions, Jaipur Pink Panthers have not been successful in repeating their initial success in the league.
They could not make it to the second round of season six and thus, they have decided to reshuffle their entire squad.
The lone bright spot of their season six campaign, Deepak Niwas Hooda, has been retained by the team and the match-winning all-rounder will continue to be the team's 'X-factor' this year as well.
#7 Patna Pirates - Pardeep Narwal
Pardeep Narwal has been the cornerstone of Patna Pirates ever since he joined the franchise in season three.
He has become the leading points scorer of the league with his unbelievable raiding skills. Pardeep Narwal is certainly the most charismatic raider of the league.
Though his team could not reach the play-offs last year, this time around they have a strong chance of regaining the championship because they have international stars like Surender Nada, Jang Kun Lee and Hadi Oshtorak in the team.
The presence of these players will surely take some pressure off the shoulders of Narwal and allow him to shine throughout the season.
#8 Puneri Paltan - Nitin Tomar
The biggest problem of Nitin Tomar's Kabaddi career has been his injury issues. The raider has proven himself as a match-winner in the PKL but he has not been able to play properly because of his injuries.
Despite this his franchise, Puneri Paltan, has kept faith in him and have picked Tomar once again as their main raider.
His quick raids and smart tackles often turn the game.
#9 Tamil Thalaivas - Ajay Thakur
It was very difficult to pick only one player as the 'X-factor' of Tamil Thalaivas but I picked Ajay Thakur because he will have two major responsibilities on his shoulders. First, to spearhead the raiding department and second to guide his team through tough situations.
His captaincy decisions will decide whether Chennai reach the final stages or not because the team management has built a solid team this year.
They have Manjeet Chhillar, Rahul Chaudhari, Mohit Chhillar, Ran Singh and Shabeer Bappu in the team and the fans would be extremely disappointed if the Thalaivas finish at the bottom once again.
#10 Telugu Titans - Siddharth Desai
U Mumba may be regretting over their decision of releasing Siddharth Desai ahead of season 7 because now they do not have a raider who can be a game changer.
Telugu Titans, on the other hand, would be glad because they signed have signed a player who can fill the boots of one of their legendary players, Rahul Chaudhari.
Desai single-handedly decimated teams last year and the same can be expected from the Maharashtra-born superstar in the upcoming edition as well.
#11 U Mumba - Sandeep Narwal
Sandeep Narwal will don the U Mumba jersey for the first time in his PKL career. He had made a name for himself by impressing in his PKL debut against U Mumba in season 1 and this year, he will be the 'X-factor' of the Mumbai franchise.
Fazel Atrachali will lead the team's defence but he will need the support of Sandeep in order to help U Mumba succeed. U Mumba will hope that Narwal makes more use of his raiding skills this year.
#11 U.P. Yoddha - Monu Goyat
Monu Goyat will join Rishank Devadiga in the raiding department of UP Yoddha in PKL 7. The Maharashtra-born Rishank Devadiga has struggled with his fitness in the past two seasons and thus, the UP Yoddha team management will hope that Monu Goyat steps up.
Goyat's stocks have fallen considerably in the PKL and if he wants to continue his association with UP Yoddha in the coming seasons, he needs to prove why he is the 'X-factor' of the team.
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