Pro Kabaddi League 2018: 5 players who will shine for Jaipur Pink Panthers

Pro Kabaddi League 2018 will start off from October 7, 2018 as the first leg of the competition is hosted by the Tamil Thalaivas franchise at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The three-month Kabaddi carnival will go through twelve cities and finally come to an end with the grand finale in Mumbai on January 5, 2018.

Jaipur Pink Panthers were the champions of the inaugural season of the Pro Kabaddi League. They have had their fair share of ups and downs across the later seasons reaching the final another time in Season 4 but losing out to Patna Pirates eventually.

Pink Panthers made waves in the Pro Kabaddi League Season 6 auction when they acquired the services of former Puneri Paltan captain Deepak Niwas Hooda for a massive amount of 1.15 Crores making him one of the few crorepatis in the Pro Kabaddi League. To add leadership to their roster, they have signed former longtime U Mumba and Indian national team captain Anup Kumar as well. The additions of corner defenders Mohit Chillar and Sandeep Kumar Dhull further add dexterity to the Jaipur Pink Panthers squad as they go in with a fresh approach to relaunch a challenge for the title this season.

We take a look at the key players for the Jaipur Pink Panthers this season as they aim to win the title again.

#5 Sandeep Kumar Dhull

Sandeep Kumar Dhull debuted in the Pro Kabaddi League in the third season with the Dabang Delhi KC franchise. He made a favourable impression playing on the left corner as he racked up a total of 32 points in the ten matches that he featured in. In the next season, he moved on to the Telugu Titans.

Dhull continued his form for Titans as well scoring 35 points at a 52.23% successful tackles rate with two High 5s to his name in the season. After missing out on the fifth season, Dhull was signed by the Jaipur Pink Panthers for a hefty price of 66 Lakhs and will form a critical part of the Jaipur defence. He will partner up with the experienced defender Mohit Chillar as the duo will take charge of the defence for the Pink Panthers.

#4 K Selvamani

K Selvamani was a big money buy for the Jaipur Pink Panthers last season as they spent an amount of 73 Lakhs for the lanky raider from Tamil Nadu. However, fortune did not favour the youngster as he got injured early on in the season and could only play three matches for the Pink Panthers.

This time around, he has been picked up for a lesser price but the promising raider will hope to deliver on the faith shown by the franchise on him. He played three seasons for the Dabang Delhi KC side and was impressive with his clinical raiding in the do or die situations. In season 4, 27 out of his total 45 raid points came from do or die raids further cementing himself as a pressure raider. Under the tutelage of Anup Kumar, Selvamani can finally deliver his complete potential and run riot on the mat for the Pink Panthers.

#3 Mohit Chillar

Mohit Chillar is one of the most well-known defenders in the Pro Kabaddi League and formed one of the deadliest corner defense combinations with Surender Nada over the years in the league. Chillar started out with U Mumba franchise and won the title in the second season of the Pro Kabaddi League and then played one season for the Bengaluru Bulls.

Chillar last played for the Haryana Steelers where the side reached the playoffs and he grabbed 39 tackle points from the right corner. He will have the mantle of handling the Jaipur Pink Panthers defence and will be tipped to shine under former U Mumba skipper Anup Kumar.

#2 Anup Kumar

Touted by many as the 'Captain Cool' in the Pro Kabaddi League, Anup Kumar has been a mainstay in the league over five seasons as he led U Mumba with steely determination winning one title in the second season.

Kumar was picked by the Jaipur Pink Panthers for a sum of 30 Lakhs as he will feature for a different side for the first time in Pro Kabaddi League history. With a wealth of experience behind him, Kumar will hope to lead the Pink Panthers to glory this season.

#1 Deepak Niwas Hooda

Deepak Niwas Hooda is one of the best all-rounders in the Pro Kabaddi League and was one of the over 1 crore buys at the auction as the Jaipur Pink Panthers signed him for 1.15 crores. The former Telugu Titans and Puneri Paltan has been one of the most successful players in the league in terms of points slotting in at the third position in the most points scored tally with 577 points in 81 points.

Hooda is considered to be one of the fittest players on the Kabaddi circuit and is a legitimate threat in both attack and defence. He will be the star man for the Pink Panthers on the mat this season and deliver the goods like he has over the years in the league.