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Former champions Bengaluru Bulls have assembled a new-look squad for Pro Kabaddi 2022. The Bulls stunned the kabaddi universe by releasing their ace raider and last season's captain Pawan Kumar Sehrawat ahead of the Pro Kabaddi 2022 auction.
Interestingly, coach Randhir Singh Sehrawat and the rest of the team management did not save funds for Pawan Sehrawat as well because of the auction dynamics. They bid ₹1.7 crore for Vikash Kandola, whose name came before Pawan at the auction.
After the bidding, coach Randhir said that had he not bid aggressively for Vikash Kandola, he would have lost him as well because he knew Pawan Sehrawat would fetch more than ₹2 crore at the Pro Kabaddi 2022 auction.
Pawan Sehrawat's absence will impact Bengaluru Bulls a lot this season but the team management has done a fine job when it comes to assembling a strong squad on paper. Here's a look at the Bengaluru team for PKL 9:
Mayur Kadam, Yash Hooda, Rohit Kumar, Mahender Singh, GB More, Saurabh Nandal, Aman Antil, Lal Mohar Yadav, Sachin Narwal, Rahul Khatik, Sudhakar Krishanth Kadam, Vinod Lachmayya Naik, Bharat Naresh, Rajnesh Narwal, Vikash Kandola, Nageshor Tharu, Neeraj Narwal, and Harmanjit Singh.
Bengaluru have got enough depth in their raiding and defensive units. Before the PKL 9 tournament gets underway, here are three reasons why the Bulls will start as one of the favorites to win this season.
#1 Bengaluru Bulls have signed 2 young in-form raiders for Pro Kabaddi 2022
Bengaluru Bulls do not have Pawan Sehrawat in their ranks this season but have added two excellent raiding options in Vikash Kandola and Neeraj Narwal. Vikash was the backbone of the Haryana Steelers franchise for the last few seasons. He has earned 613 points in his PKL career so far.
Vikash will have the back of Neeraj Narwal, who won the PKL 8 trophy with Dabang Delhi KC last season. Neeraj scored 45 raid points in 19 games for Delhi, executing one super raid.
The Bengaluru squad also features rising star Bharat Hooda, who impressed fans with his good raiding performances on debuting for the Bulls last season. If this trio fires all cylinders, it will be difficult to stop the Bulls.
#2 The side have a settled defense
While Bengaluru Bulls made some big changes to their raiding department of Pro Kabaddi 2022, they retained the majority of their first-choice defenders from season eight.
Corner defenders Aman Antil and Saurabh Nandal have done a fantastic job for the team while Mahender Singh has been Bengaluru's most reliable left-cover defender. Right cover Mayur Kadam will be keen to improve his performance after gaining a lot of experience with the Bulls last season.
A settled defense should support the raiding unit to perfection, thereby increasing the team's chances of winning the trophy.
#3 Mastermind Randhir Singh Sehrawat's coaching
Coach Randhir Singh Sehrawat has played an integral role in Bengaluru Bulls' success over the last eight seasons. The team has made it to the playoffs five times and won the title once under his guidance.
Randhir has always brought the best out of the resources at his disposal. It should not be a surprise if a few underrated names from the Bengaluru squad punch above their weight and guide the team to the Pro Kabaddi 2022 championship.
