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Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 9 winners Jaipur Pink Panthers will look to defend their title in the upcoming season. They won the trophy for the second time after being crowned champions in the inaugural edition of the tournament.
Jaipur dominated last season, finishing first in the league stage with 15 wins and 82 points. They went on to beat the Bengaluru Bulls in the semi-finals and then got the better of Puneri Paltan in the final.
Jaipur Pink Panthers, with two Pro Kabaddi trophies, is the second most successful team in the history of the league. Only the Patna Pirates have won the trophy thrice, and the Pink Panthers have an opportunity to equal the feat this time around.
Here is a look at five players to watch out for from the Jaipur Pink Panthers come PKL 10.
5. Sahul Kumar
Amidst the presence of Ankush and Sunil in the defense, Sahul Kumar was impressive for the Jaipur side in PKL 9. He scored a total of 56 tackle points and finished in the top 10 most successful defenders of the season as well.
In a career that boasts 42 PKL matches, Sahul Kumar has notched up a total of 101 tackle points. His role alongside Ankush and Sunil will be of utmost importance in the defense.
4. V Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar didn't had a stellar season for everyone to remember last season, yet made an impactful contribution. He stacked up 100 raid points from 21 matches.
Ajith has featured in 60 games in his PKL career so far, fetching as many as 380 raid points, including 14 Super 10s as well.
Needless to say, the Pink Panthers will need him to perform even better in the upcoming season.
3. Sunil Kumar
Sunil Kumar will once again lead the defense for the Jaipur Pink Panthers. The ace defender played a crucial part in making his team the champions last season. He was the fourth-best defender of the tournament with 64 tackle points from 23 matches.
Having played a total of 114 matches and grabbed 281 tackle points in his entire PKL career, Sunil brings in a lot of experience.
His role in the defense will once again be vital for the Pink Panthers in their title defense.
2. Ankush
With 89 tackle points from 24 matches, Ankush was the best defender of PKL 9. He put up a terrific show with an average of 3.71 tackle points per game. Moreover, he had a staggering tackle success rate of 64 percent.
The left-corner defender made his Pro Kabaddi debut in Season 9 with the Pink Panthers. For his maiden PKL season, Ankush was mighty impressive, playing a key role in his team’s successful campaign.
It will be interesting to see if the youngster can build on his performance this time around or not.
1. Arjun Deshwal
Arjun Deshwal has proven to be a star raider in the last two seasons of the league. With 296 raid points last season, he was the best raider of the tournament as well. He displayed phenomenal form with an average of 12.33 raid points per match, picking up 17 Super 10s as well.
Arjun has evolved into a brilliant raider. His numbers in the Pro Kabaddi League are exceptional. He has gathered a total of 671 raid points from 68 matches.
If the Jaipur Pink Panthers are to defend their title, Arjun will have to replicate his scintillating display from last season.
