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Former Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) champions Bengal Warriors have released a majority of their players ahead of the PKL 9 Auction. The Season 7 winners failed to defend their title the previous season.
Playing under the captaincy of Maninder Singh, the Bengal Warriors finished ninth in the points table. They played 22 matches, registering nine wins, 10 defeats and three draws. The Warriors also had a negative points difference of -18.
The Warriors have confirmed their list of retained players ahead of the Pro Kabaddi 2022 auction. They have retained skipper Maninder Singh along with Akash Pikalmunde and Manoj Gowda for the new season.
Interestingly, Iranian stars Mohammad Esmaeil Nabhibakhsh and Abozar Mighani are not present on the list of retained players. It looks like the Bengal Warriors team management wants some new defenders and supporting raiders in the squad.
So, without further ado, let's have a look at the three players the Bengal Warriors could target at Pro Kabaddi 2022 Auction.
#1 Fazel Atrachali
U Mumba released their captain Fazel Atrachali ahead of Pro Kabaddi Auction 2022. The Iranian defender has achieved enormous success in the PKL, but the Mumbai-based franchise decided against retaining him this year.
While Atrachali has excellent numbers in the Pro Kabaddi League, he was not at his best last season. It seemed like the pressure of captaincy and the inexperience of the U Mumba squad forced him to play defensively. Still, Fazel ended the season with 51 tackle points, including a couple of High 5s.
The Bengal Warriors already have an experienced captain in Maninder Singh. The Kolkata-based franchise may look to strengthen their defense by roping in Fazel Atrachali and allowing him to play his natural game.
#2 Surjeet Singh
Surjeet Singh is one of the most experienced names present in the Category 'A' of defenders for Pro Kabaddi Auction 2022. The Warriors team owners would know about his talent as he was the captain of the Kolkata-based franchise in previous seasons.
He led the Tamil Thalaivas last season, scoring 53 tackle points for the team. Considering his experience and rock-solid defensive technique, Surjeet Singh's presence could help the Bengal Warriors a lot in the ninth edition of the Pro Kabaddi League.
#3 Sukesh Hegde
Another former Bengal player to feature on the list is Sukesh Hegde. He was a good supporting raider to Maninder Singh in the previous Pro Kabaddi League season. In 15 matches, Sukesh scored 58 points for the Warriors and executed a couple of super raids as well.
Bengal should look to re-sign him at the Pro Kabaddi Auction 2022 as he can form a good partnership with Maninder Singh. On top of that, he is a PKL veteran who can handle the team well when Maninder is off the court.
It will be interesting to see if the Warriors sign one of their former players at the upcoming auction.
