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Vivo Pro Kabaddi 2019 is all set to commence from 20th July 2019 at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad. Haryana Steelers made their debut in season 5 and made an immediate impact, qualifying into the qualifiers under the captaincy of Surender Nada.
However, in season 6, an injury to Surender Nada in the opening game of the season did not help the Steelers campaign as they failed to put up an impressive show. For season 7, Haryana Steelers have signed Arjuna Awardee and veteran Indian Kabaddi player Rakesh Kumar as their coach. The team management also retained Vikash Kandola and Kuldeep Singh ahead of the PKL 7 auctions.
Panchkula will be hosting the home games of the Steelers, who will be playing this season under the leadership of veteran defender Dharmaraj Cheralathan. The Steelers are set to begin their league stage matches with their first encounter against Puneri Paltan on 22nd July. The home leg of Haryana Steelers will commence from 28th September and culminate on 4th October 2019.
With PKL 7 just around the corner, here is a look at why the Steelers could be backed to clinch their first ever Pro Kabaddi League title.
#3 The raiding duo of Prashanth Kumar Rai and Vikash Kandola
Prashanth Kumar Rai started his PKL journey with the Telugu Titans in season 1, while Vikash Kandola made his debut with Dabang Delhi K.C. in season 4. Interestingly, both of these star raiders played together for the Steelers back in season 5.
From the PKL 7 auctions, the Haryana Steelers brought back Prashanth Kumar Rai into the fold for ₹77 lakh. He has 312 raid points in 81 matches and in season 6 with UP Yoddha, Prashanth outshined big match raiders like Shrikant Jadhav and Rishank Devadiga and established himself as the lead raider, scoring 144 raid points in 21 matches.
On the back of an impressive show in season 6, the Steelers retained Vikash Kandola. He emerged as one of the potential stars in season five and even out-scored Monu Goyat in season six, scoring 172 raid points in 22 matches.
Prashanth Kumar Rai and Vikash Kandola will lead raiding attack of Haryana Steelers in PKL 7. With the duo enjoying top seasons from the last edition, their partnership in the presence of other young raiders like Naveen and K Selvamani will be key.
#2 Presence of experienced coach Rakesh Kumar
The Haryana Steelers appointed former Indian skipper Rakesh Kumar as their coach for the upcoming Pro Kabaddi season 7. An Arjuna awardee and triple Asian Games Gold medalist, Rakesh Kumar's experience will have a massive role to play in the upcoming season.
Rakesh was the captain of Patna Pirates in inaugural Pro Kabaddi season and was one of the most expensive players of the season, with a contract worth ₹12.80 lakh.
After missing out on season 2 due to injury, he marked his comeback with U Mumba in season 3. After representing U Mumba in two consecutive seasons, he shifted to Telugu Titans in season 5. Then he announced his retirement before making his debut in the commentary box for season 6.
His numerous years of experience at the international stage, as well as in Pro Kabaddi, could add innovation to the game plan and strategies of the Steelers that could hand them an advantage prior to the start of this season.
#1 Versatile options in the defensive unit
Haryana signed up the services of the immensely experienced defender of Pro Kabaddi, Dharmaraj Cherelathan for ₹38.5 lakh. The veteran defender has 216 tackle points in 99 matches played in Pro Kabaddi and his ability to play in both corner positions makes him an asset to the team.
Ahead of the PKL 7 auctions, the Steelers retained left corner defender Kuldeep Singh, who had a fabulous show in season 6, with 49 tackle points from 22 matches at an average of 2.23 tackle points.
Left cover Parveen was retained as well, having scored 28 tackle points from 19 matches last season with a single High 5 to his name. He will be backed by local talents Subhash Narwal and Vikram Kandola.
For the position of right cover, the Steelers have two options to bank on, in the form of experienced names Ravi Kumar and Vikas Kale, both of who had great seasons with the Puneri Paltan and Patna Pirates respectively.
When it comes to defensive unit, Haryana Steelers have a number of quality options in the squad. With a unique mix of youth and experience, it will be interesting to see how veteran Dharmaraj Cheralathan leads this time.
