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The auction for Season 7 of the Pro Kabaddi League took place in Mumbai on April 8th and April 9th and the teams, coaches and support staff battled it out among each other to get a well-set, balanced side ahead of the new season which is set to commence on July 18.
There were some huge bids from the teams and 2 players crossed the ₹1 Crore mark. Siddharth Desai who was bought by the Telugu Titans for ₹1.45 Crore was the most expensive player while Nitin Tomar who returned to Puneri Paltan wasn't far behind as he fetched ₹1.20 Crore. Sandeep Narwal was the most costly all-rounder while Mahender Singh was re-bought by the Bengaluru Bulls.
After the auction, it was apparent that all teams weren't equal in strength and while some look well-built, some lack good options in either raiders or with their defence. While it's not necessary that only the side which looks good on paper makes it to the playoffs, the lack of solid options can hurt those teams.
On that note, let's take a look at 5 teams which are unlikely to make it to the playoffs.
#5 Dabang Delhi KC
Raiders: Chandran Ranjit, Vijay Malik
All-Rounders: Meraj Sheykh, Saeed Ghaffari, Pratik Patil
Defenders: Ravinder Pahal, Joginder Narwal, Vishal Mane, Anil Kumar, Sombir, Satywan, Neeraj Narwal
Dabang Delhi KC went with an interesting strategy at the auction and built their team around their defenders and had only one main raider in their side. They brought back Chandran Ranjit who impressed last season and signed Patna Pirates' utility raider Vijay Malik who can be handy during do-or-die raids. They have Meraj Sheykh who can be a menace when he's on form but last season will be one to forget for him.
Their defence is very strong, though and their corner combination is really strong. Ravinder Pahal and Joginder Narwal were great last season and will look to continue with their form. Vishal Mane and Anil Kumar can be good cover defenders for the side as well.
Overall, Delhi have a very strong defence around which their team is built but the lack of raiding options can come back to hurt them this season. Their lack of big names in their raiding unit can be a reason why they don't seem to be favourites to make the playoffs.
#4 Jaipur Pink Panthers
Raiders: Ajinkya Pawar, Sushil Gulia, Deepak Narwal, Nilesh Salunkhe, Vishal
Defenders: Sandeep Kumar Dhull, Amit Hooda, Sunil Siddhagawali, Pavan T.R, Karamvir
All-Rounders: Deepak Niwas Hooda, Dong Gyu Kim, Lokesh Kaushik, Malinda Chaturanga, Sachin Narwal
The Jaipur Pink Panthers paid the highest amount in retaining their players as Deepak Niwas Hooda and Sandeep Kumar Dhull were retained by the side. Anup Kumar retired after the end of last season and they needed someone to partner Deepak in the raiding department.
They have got a couple of good raiders but none of them are primary raiders for their side. Deepak Narwal and Nilesh Salunke were the raiders who they got at the auction and both of them are good supporting raiders who can do well in Do-or-Die raids. They have a couple of good young players in the side but lack a proper all-rounder. Deepak is more of a raiding all-rounder and hardly contributes defensively nowadays.
Even in their defense, they have very good corners in Sandeep Kumar Dhull and Amit Hooda who can combine to give the raiders a huge headache. They are a bit weak with their cover combination with Sunil Siddhgavali being the only known name.
Overall, Jaipur are a decent unit but have holes in their squad and they need to work on the proper starting lineup over the next few months. Apart from Deepak, they don't really have a stalwart in any of their units and can be knocked out of the race for the playoffs once again.
#3 U Mumba
Raiders: Arjun Deshwal, Rohit Baliyan, Dong Geon Lee, Abhishek Singh, Vinoth Kumar, Athul M.S, Gaurav Kumar
Defenders: Fazel Atrachali, Surinder Singh, Rajaguru Subramanian, Young Chang Ko, Harendra Kumar, Harsh Vardhan, Anil
All-Rounders: Sandeep Narwal, Mohit Baliyan, Ajinkya Rohidas Kapre
U Mumba took a huge decision in releasing Siddharth Desai before the auction because last season's Best Debutant was picked for a whopping ₹1.45 Crore by the Telugu Titans. U Mumba could have retained him at a much lower price and have their raiding powerhouse with them for another season. Their raiding unit is also the place where they lack the most this season.
They bought all-rounder Sandeep Narwal who is the most belligerent right corner defender in the entire league and his combination with Fazel Atrachali will be one to look out for. Mumbai have a very strong defense but when it comes to their raiding unit, they lack power and a player who can consistently score 9-10 points per game and they lack the cutting edge.
Their lesser known raiders have to step up and do a great job if they want to qualify for the playoffs.
#2 Haryana Steelers
Raiders: Vikash Khandola, Prashanth Kumar Rai, Selvamani K, Naveen, Vinay
Defenders: Dharamraj Cheralathan, Vikas Kale, Vikram Kandola, Ravi Kumar, Subhash Narwal
All-Rounders: Kuldeep Singh, Amir Mohammed Maleki, Tim Phonchoo
The Haryana Steelers have a pretty ordinary team for this season which seems to be experienced but lacks the power of a star player and doesn't have a stalwart in any of their departments. They retained Vikash Khandola and bought Prashanth Kumar Rai at the auction and both of them can complement each other well. Selvamani K will be a good substitute option.
Defensively, Kuldeep Singh looks solid in the left corner position but Dharmaraj Cheralathan and Vikas Kale haven't been in the best of form in the PKL and the right side of the defence looks pretty weak. They also lack a genuine all-rounder who can get them the crucial points.
Overall, though they have good talent in their side, they don't have a player who can lead from the front in terms of the point-scoring like Pardeep Narwal or Rahul Chaudhari and have to be consistent throughout the season. This might hurt them when it gets to the crucial do-or-die matches and this might adversely affect their playoffs hopes.
#1 Bengal Warriors
Raiders: Maninder Singh, AR Avinash, Amit Santosh, Rakesh Narwal, Sukesh Hegde, Adarsh T
Defenders: Jeeva Kumar, Rinku Narwal, Viraj Vishnu Langde, Bhuvneshwar Gaur, Sahil
All-Rounders: Mohammad Taghi, Baldev Singh, Ravindra Kumawat, Mohammad Nabibaksh
The Bengal Warriors had a rather tame auction and didn't make too many flashy or big buys. Their biggest buy was that of Mohammad Nabibaksh, the Iranian defending all-rounder for ₹77.75 lakhs and he will occupy a role in either left or right cover depending on where Jeeva Kumar plays.
They lack the power in the raiding unit and seriously lack options. Maninder Singh seems to be the only seasoned raider and if he gets injured or is out of form, they will struggle a lot. Rakesh Narwal can be an impact substitute but never a lead raider and Sukesh Hegde hasn't been in good form in the league.
Baldev Singh and Adarsh T are a good combination but lack the experience and can't be compared to the likes of Abozar Mighani and Vishal Bhardwaj. They shouldn't have let go of former skipper PO Surjeet Singh who they could've got back using the FBM card during the auction.
They have a couple of options in Rinku Narwal and Mohammad Taghi but overall, they lack the punch and star players to pose a genuine threat and have to be at their best if they want to do well. With not many known players and with so much inexperience in their side, Bengal really don't seem to look a strong team.
