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When the Tamil Thalaivas team made their debut in the fifth edition of the Pro Kabaddi League, the whispers circling around in the air was mostly centered around their talismanic skipper Ajay Thakur, who was captaining a Pro Kabaddi League side for the first time in his career.
The debut was certainly not one to remember, as the Thalaivas crumbled to a wooden spoon finish from Zone 'B', finishing with just six wins from 22 matches, raising questions on the composition of their side and their inability to excel in crunch situations.
However, that one problem seems to have been covered with the addition of the likes of Manjeet Chhillar, Jasvir Singh and Sukesh Hegde, three players who have made their presence felt across the five editions of the league so far.
As the sixth season approaches, a lot of new opportunities will be on offer for the Ajay Thakur-led side, which will be licking its lips to get on to the mat and rectify the performance from last season.
Here are five reasons as to why the Tamil Thalaivas could go on to win this season.
#5 Lots of experienced players in the squad
In the last season, the Thalaivas had to make do with the limited amount of resources they had and with that, the lack of experience in both the defensive and raiding setup did not help their cause as they more often than not gifted easy points to the opposition.
However, with the addition of the likes of Jasvir Singh and Manjeet Chhillar, the experience will certainly come good for the Thalaivas, who will be desperate to get some wins under their belt and stake a claim for a spot in the race for the title.
In addition to this, Sunil, a utility defender joins the squad along with Sukesh Hegde and the two will be instrumental for the Thalaivas to have a good season ahead.
#4 Manjeet Chhillar and Jasvir Singh will look to prove a point
In the auctions, veterans Manjeet Chhillar and Jasvir Singh, two of the Pro Kabaddi League's most famous players were purchased for just their base price of ₹30 lakh by the Thalaivas and the two legends will be on the prowl, pouncing on any opportunity they get to prove that they are no mere pushovers.
Given the fact that other raiders and all-rounders went for high sums of money, the two veterans will hope to get amongst the points and make a statement that they still have a lot left in the tank.
If they indeed do get amongst the points, one can easily expect the Thalaivas to dominate the game and with that, the competition.
#3 Far more balanced unit from last season
If one was to suggest that the Thalaivas from this season look far more comfortably placed on paper than the team from the last season, they would not be stating anything distant away from the truth.
The experience was lacking in the team from last season and with acres of experience coming through from the purchases in this auction, the Thalaivas will be a confident bunch going into the season.
Through Manjeet Chhillar, they have a powerhouse to man the defense while Ajay Thakur, alongside Jasvir Singh, can split the raiding duties. A team full of confidence is sure to walk into their first match!
#2 The Ajay Thakur - Manjeet Chhillar alliance
One of the biggest partnerships in the Pro Kabaddi League is that of Ajay Thakur and Manjeet Chhillar, both of whom have a revered fondness for each other's style of play.
The two first played together for the Bengaluru Bulls before they rejoined forces for the third and fourth season at the Puneri Paltan. Right throughout the four seasons, Manjeet captained Ajay Thakur before the former moved to the Jaipur Pink Panthers while the latter was made the captain of the Thalaivas for the fifth season of the PKL.
Now, as a new season is close, Ajay and Manjeet have reunited at the Thalaivas and if they manage to rekindle their alliance and build a firm foundation, the Thalaivas could well be in the path of claiming the ultimate title.
#1 Captain Ajay Thakur and his three vice-captains
Kabaddi is a very fast-paced game demands a lot of thinking and understanding of the game. Luckily for the Thalaivas, they do not have just the one captain on the mat but in reality three of the best brains in the game on the mat apart from skipper Thakur.
Manjeet Chhillar has captained the Bengaluru Bulls, Puneri Paltan and Jaipur Pink Panthers. Jasvir Singh captained the Pink Panthers while Sukesh Hegde, for a brief period captained the Gujarat Fortunegiants.
Considering that the four of them to be present on the mat at all times, the Thalaivas' fans will be anticipating more than a solid show this season, a title win in the end.
