The fifth edition of the Pro Kabaddi League is all set to begin on the 28th of July, in a bigger and better avatar than ever before. 12 teams from 11 cities will battle it out on the kabaddi mat for a span of 90 days in 140 plus matches in order to claim the all-important trophy.
The player auctions prior to the season held in May, saw franchise owners spending close to Rs. 50 crores with an aim to build the strongest possible squad replete with talent, skills and equitable balance in the attack and defence.
For the last two season, the men in green from Patna Pirates have emerged as champions and due credit has to be attributed to the team management who ensure each time that they have the best players in the team ranks in order to enable them to go the distance.
We look at 5 reasons why Patna can complete a hat-trick of trophies in the fifth season:
#1 Pardeep Narwal
The most successful raider in Season 3 of PKL and then the Most Valuable Player in the fourth edition of the league. It was sort of obvious that the Patna think tank chose to retain the services of this star raider for the fifth season. Well, possibly the best young raider on the mat, Pardeep has been in glorious form not only in the last two seasons but he also showcased his prowess in the World Cup last year.
Exhibiting a plethora of skills from the exclusive dubkis, to swift touches and rare high jumps, Pardeep will lead the attack for the Pirates. Moreover, consistency is the key word when it comes to Pardeep; with his rampant raids, he amassed 116 points in the third season and followed it up with 115 in the next edition. If he gets going, which he does more often than not, Patna will find it very easy to go the distance against most opposition teams.
#2 Defensive duo of Vishal Mane and Sachin Shingade
The two Marathi boys have big boots to fill in, that of Dharmaraj Cheralathan and Fazel Atrachali, but given their performances from the past, the duo will not shy away from this challenge at all.
Vishal Mane, probably the ‘Hulk’, has a lot to prove after his poor season with the Bengal Warriors last time while Sachin Shingade, who was the only bright light for an inconsistent Dabang Delhi last time, will be looking to pick up from where he left.
If these two players combine well in terms of coordination, they will form a potent combination forging an impregnable wall in the Patna Pirates’ defence.
#3 Coach and Management
The Patna Pirates have been training under one of the best in the business of kabaddi, Shri Ram Meher Singh. The former player is an Asian Games gold medallist from 2002 and also an Arjuna Award winner. Thus, there is no shred of doubt that he will leave no stone unturned when it comes to the preparation, tactics and strategising for the team.
On the other hand, manager Kartik Sansanwal, sounded pretty confident of the team’s chance while speaking post the auctions, wherein he said that, “Our focus was on getting the best players in their positions and not going solely for star power. We wanted to avoid splashing out an extraordinary sum on a single player and instead build a solid team with good bench strength.”
#4 Monu Goyat and Mohammad Maghsoudlou
The two players will relieve a lot of pressure off the big stars if they perform as per their potential. Monu has already given glimpses of his attacking power with his raids, amassing 59 raid points from the 13 matches that he has played so far in the tournament.
Also read: Pro Kabaddi League 2017 Season 5: Five Iranian players to keep a close eye on
Iranian import, Mohammad Maghsoudlou, is one capable all-rounder who needs to be given enough playing opportunity to showcase his worth in both the departments, for he can play in the capacity of a third-choice raider as well as assist the Vishal Mane-Sachin Shingade pair in the defence.
#5 Momentum
Patna Pirates have been on sort of a winning streak given the last two season and they will be looking to continue in the same manner and avoid being complacent. The big advantage that they have over the other 11 teams is that they do not suffer from any pressure to deliver good results for they have been consistently doing so, an aspect that will a concern particularly for U Mumba, Pune, Telugu Titans amongst others.
And given their reputation and style of play, Patna Pirates even before the season is off to a start, will be regarded as the team to beat just because of their sheer record.
