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The fifth edition of the Pro Kabaddi League will commence on the 28th of July and span three whole months, with the finale scheduled for the 28th of October. The extended season is the result of the addition of four new teams – Fortune Giants Gujarat, Haryana Steelers, Tamil Thalaivas and UP Yoddhas – to the fold.
Thus, we will see more than 230 players from 12 teams, hailing from 11 states, take to the mat in order to claim the all-important title. One team that have their eyes firmly set on the coveted crown are the one from the capital city, Dabang Delhi Kabaddi Club.
The team spent a good amount of money at the player auctions, managing to build a squad with a host of new faces, unlike in the previous editions. They finished sixth in the inaugural season, then slipped down a spot in the second season, managing to notch up just four wins in their 14 games.
Also read: Pro Kabaddi League 2017 Season 5: Five players who look set to have a career defining season
In Season 3, they suffered their worst outcome as a team, languishing at the bottom of the league table and failed to make any significant improvement even in the fourth edition, finishing seventh yet again.
However, in the bigger and better fifth edition, the team will look to put up a great show. Sportskeeda looks at five reasons why Dabang Delhi can win the Pro Kabaddi League Season 5 title!
#1 Retaining Meraj Sheykh
Dabang Delhi probably made their best move prior to the auctions by retaining the services of their star all-rounder Meraj Sheykh. The Iranian import is a livewire on the mat, contributing points not only in attack but also in defence.
Moreover, his leadership abilities add to his worth. Sheykh is capable of marshalling his troops on the mat and extracting the best possible results out of them. With 119 raid points and 42 tackle points, if Meraj gets going, he has the power to snatch the game away from the opposition single-handedly.
#2 Defensive duo of Bajirao Hodage and Nilesh Shinde
The two Marathi lads will have their second innings together in the PKL, having played together for the Bengal Warriors in the past. The two know each other’s style of play inside out, and their coordination on the mat will be hugely beneficial to the team.
Moreover, with Nilesh Shinde relieved of his captaincy responsibilities, he will be able to bring forth his real game to the mat and play without any sort of pressure.
#3 A quality raiding side
The fifth season will mark the return of Ravi Dalal, a rampant raider in his own right. He will lead the attacking charge for his side and look to prove his worth by adding to his tally of 168 raid points.
Supporting him will be former Telugu Titans player, Rohit Baliyan, who was quite impressive with 66 raid points in 16 matches. And if the team still need some firepower in attack, they can rely on the other Iranian in their ranks, Abolfazl Maghsodlou, who is an out-and-out raider.
#4 Experienced Coach
Delih have probably recruited one of the best coaches in the business, Dr Ramesh Bhendigiri, to guide the team to the title. He was not only the national coach of the Indian Women’s Kabaddi Team which won the gold medal at the World Cup in 2012, but also worked with the Thailand men’s and women’s team which won the Silver and Bronze medals respectively during the Asian Games.
As for his experience in the PKL, Dr Ramesh has previously acted as the head coach of the Telugu Titans.
#5 Need to prove a point
The string of poor results has not really helped the reputation of the team, with them being regarded as whipping boys. The team clearly need to build on the talent they have acquired at the auctions and the revamped squad will look to bring a change of fortunes for the franchise.
Moreover, they will be eager to repay the faith of their loyal fans and give them some reason to cheer, for they were the first kabaddi team to garner one million likes on their Facebook page.
