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The latest Pro Kabaddi Auctions, which took place on the 30th and 31st of May, saw a total of 422 players getting under the hammer. However, only 181 players got divided into the respective 12 teams.
Silent assassin Monu Goyat turned out as the costliest player in the history of PKL, after being bought by Indian kabaddi's hotspot, i.e., Haryana's franchise Haryana Steelers for a whopping ₹151 lakhs. Iranian powerhouse Fazel Atrachali became the priciest foreign player after U Mumba bagged him for ₹100 lakhs.
Other players like Deepak Hooda, Nitin Tomar, Rishank Devadiga and Rahul Chaudhari also joined the crore party. The Mangalore-based Prashanth Rai became the most expensive player on Day 2 of the auctions.
The team management of Jaipur's franchise was also present at the auctions. They did not retain any player from their old team. It was clear that they wanted to start with a fresh team for the upcoming season.
Team owner Abhishek Bachchan, who seemed poised with furrowed brows throughout the auctions, proved once again that he is an amazing shopper. He tactically picked out outstanding players for his team.
Here is an expert analysis of the full squad of Jaipur Pink Panthers:
#1 Raiders
There are eight raiders on the team. Anup Kumar, or as he is popularly called Captain Cool, is one of them.
It was extremely shocking to us that U Mumba did not use their FBM card to bring him back. Junior Bachchan took the advantage and sealed the deal as he bought Anup for a mere price of ₹30 lakhs.
The 34 years-old raider has captained U Mumba since season one. He is famously known as the toe-touch king of kabaddi. He has scored a total of 546 points in his PKL career. This former Mumba player is one of the best kabaddi players ever.
The Kenyan hero David Mosambayi, Selvamani K., Anand Patil, Sunil Siddhgavali, Gangadhari Mallesh, Lokesh Kaushik and Ajit Singh will also don on Jaipur's famous colours - Pink and Blue.
All-in-all, raiders' side looks fine. There is no other substantial player other than Anup Kumar. Despite that, the youngsters seem good. They will require some proper guidance from the experienced and skilled Anup Kumar.
#2 Defenders
There is a total of five defenders on the team. Star player Mohit Chillar is one of them. He was the costliest player of season 3. Mr Bachchan wanted to buy Surender Nada as well but failed.
Popular Jodi of SuMo (Surender Nada and Mohit Chillar) won't be playing together in the approaching season.
The Bajirao of PKL, Bajirao Hodage will also play for Jaipur's team this season. He has priorly played in Patna Pirates and Bengal Warriors. Season five did not go well for him. Well, he has good potential and can do wonders.
Extremely talented Sandeep Dhull, South Korean champ Young Chang Ko, and Santhapanaselvam will be seen controlling the defence of the team.
The defenders' list is very impressive. Abhishek Bachchan along with the team management has done a great job. The list is seamless with talent and experience.
#3 All-rounders
There are four all-rounders on the team. The crorepati Deepak Hooda is one of them. Jaipur has smartly invested a massive ₹115 lakhs on him. He is one of the best players kabaddi has ever produced. He has played as a part of Telegu Titans before making a switch to Puneri Paltan.
Deepak has evolved a lot. He has proved his mettle in every season. Much will be expected from him this time. The magnificent player Nitin Rawal, who played for Jaipur last season as well, will play for the Pinks Panthers' squad. He gave us some unforgettable moments in season 5.
New youngsters like Brijendra Singh and N. Ramakrishna will play in Jaipur as the other all-rounders. There's nothing much to say about this respective list, as it is well-founded.
The team of Jaipur Pink Panthers looks quite justifying. Abhishek Bachchan has done a commendable job. There is no doubt that he is the most involving team owner. The players on the team are as colourful as the Pink City.
It will be right to say that Jaipur has been decorated pretty well with applaudable players, but we must not forget that they had big names in season five, yet failed to do a miracle.
What do you think about the Jaipur Pink Panthers this season? Sound off your views in the comment box down below. Don't forget to watch the sixth edition of Pro Kabaddi League, which will kick-start from the 19th of October. Till then, Khel Kabaddi!
