Pro Kabaddi League: Puneri Paltan - A disappointing journey

The Puneri Paltan squad before the start of the first season

Puneri Paltan came in with aspirations of becoming the first ever champions of Star Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) and left watching those dreams shattered. The team from Maharashtra had a forgettable Season 1 of the PKL as they finished rock bottom in the table.

Owned by Insurekot Sports, the Paltans had a lot of expectations riding on them, which, unfortunately, they couldn’t meet. The team was led by Wazir Singh, an experienced and battled-hardened war horse, who has represented India, the state of Rajasthan, and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) in kabaddi.

The team was coached by Ramphal Kaushik, the winner of the best coach award for 2011 for CISF. They played their home matches at the Balewadi Sports Complex, Pune, which, despite being far away from the city, was filled in all the home matches. The team also had their own theme song, composed by Ajay from Ajay-Atul fame, to motivate and inspire the team.

In the league, Puneri Paltan won just 2 of the 14 matches they played and lost the rest. With a total score of just 17 points, they finished 8^th in the table, behind Bengal Warriors, who, themselves, had a tournament to forget.

The team had a lot of talent in the form of their captain Wazir Singh, Jitesh Joshi, Manoj Kumar, Sunil Lande, and Pravin Niwale. They also possessed talented foreigners like Mostafa Noudehi from Iran, Waleed Hasani from Oman and Kenyan Simon Kubura.

Wazir Singh was the only player from the Paltan squad who could walk away from the tournament with his head held high. Equally adept at both raiding and defending, his qualities as a raider came to the fore in the first season of the PKL as he returned with 104 points finishing 9th in the top raiders list in the inaugural season. Given the fact that they had no defender who was amongst the list of top 20 defenders in the league, it is no surprise that they finished bottom.

Few memories, plenty disappointments for Puneri Paltan

There were very few memorable matches for Puneri Paltan in the inaugural season. One of them was the match between Puneri Paltan and the Bengal Warriors, a match that was dominated by the team from Pune. The side from Maharashtra won the match 40-30, registering their first win of the tournament on home soil.

Anup Kumar of U Mumba (left) stretches over the line during a thrilling match against Puneri Paltan

Fans would also remember Pune's match against U Mumba on the final day of the league. The Maharashtra derby was a spectacle to watch as Mumbai edged it 36-35 by capturing Pune captain Wazir Singh in the last move of the match. One could have been forgiven for thinking it would be an easy U Mumba win considering the difference in the position of the teams in the table. However, Puneri Paltan rose to the occasion and ended their disappointing season with a brilliant performance, where the match could have swung either way.

Pune lost most of its matches quite soundly against the other teams. Their loss to Dabang Delhi was quite embarrassing for the Paltans as they meekly surrendered 45-22. Pune was quite sloppy in the defense in the first half. The second half was no different, and their frustrated captain Wazir Singh had to leave the field after getting a yellow card.

However, the worst match for Puneri Paltan in the entire league was against Jaipur Pink Panthers. Playing on their home turf after their victory against Bengal, there was a lot of expectation amongst the home fans. However, the eventual winners ran riot and hammered Pune 50-23. The match was a spectacle in itself, with a lot of drama. Captain Wazir Shah had to be carried out in a stretcher after sustaining a hip injury while trying to raid. Even though he managed to score a point, he got injured in the process. By the second half, most of the fans had left the stadium.

There are plenty of areas where Pune needs to improve on if they want to avoid another underwhelming season. With the training for the second season underway, the Paltans must be working hard to improve on last season's disappointments.