Pro Kabaddi League Season 5: Five Puneri Paltan players who can win the team the elusive title

The team wearing orange in the Pro Kabaddi League has in the past four seasons shown tendencies that are generally associated with a team more famous for sporting the same colour - the Netherlands football team. They come with big names and bigger reputation, give some scintillating performances and just when it looks they are set to rock the show, they fall by the wayside.

This time too the team is packed with big names as the management wrung in the changes after the last season when the team huffed and puffed to the semis but couldn't progress further. The difference from the previous seasons, however, lies in the core of the team which has been masterfully copied from Patna Pirates of the last season with retained player Deepak Niwas Hooda adding his weight to it.

Can these players who know what victory tastes like win it for another team that has the same initials as their last one? The names on the team sheet does inspire confidence.

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#1 Dharmaraj Cheralathan

Cheralathan captained Patna Pirates to the title last season

The grand old man of Kabaddi isn't giving up anytime soon. And why should he, especially after winning a title for his team last season? The defender doesn't give any impression of slowing down and with his experience, has developed the guile that more than makes up for whatever agility he has lost due to his age.

His knee hold is still dreaded in the league as much as his composure and decisions on the mat are respected. With age not on his side, Cheralathan would like to ride the wave as long as it lasts. But maintaining fitness for such a long season can prove to be a challenge for the ex Pirates captain and it would be important for the team to groom a defender who can take his place in the side whenever the need arises.

#2 Girish Ernak

Ernak will be playing for another team apart from the Bengal Warriors for the first time this season

Along with Nilesh Shinde, Ernak formed a lethal defence combo for Bengal Warriors. But nothing else clicked for the team and the overall failures of the side obscured Ernak's flashes of brilliance on the mat as well.

A strong young man who has an even stronger hold, Ernak with Cheralathan will be crucial to the team's chances in his favoured left corner position. What Ernak needs to control is his over excitement to lunge into the retreating raider that has cost his team dear many a times in the past. That's why it can be a blessing for the Bengali to have the calm Cheralathan on the other side.

#3 Deepak Niwas Hooda

After a superlative show last season, Hooda was retained by the team ahead of other bigger names

It must have been a tough choice to make for the Paltan management to choose between Deepak Hooda and Manjeet Chhillar to retain ahead of the auctions. Credit must be given to Hooda for increasing his stocks over one season in such a way that he got the nod ahead of arguably one of the better all rounders of the league.

It was the injury to Ajay Thakur in season 3 that brought Deepak Hooda, the raider, to the fore and he rocked in that role as he unleashed his running hand touch that has come to develop a reputation of its own.

He was explosive in the last season with 108 raids, finishing only behind Rahul Chaudhari in the table. If he can repeat his heroics from the previous season, the Pune franchise can hope to do an encore of their season three performance. Or maybe one better than that.

#4 Sandeep Narwal

With 62 matches under his belt, the 24-year old is one of the most experienced names in PKL

Just like the Chhillars, the Narwals keep on coming in the Pro Kabaddi. And credit to each one of them for bringing something so different to the plate that they all have developed a separate reputation and following.

Sandeep Narwal is easily the most stylish of all the Narwals who carries his off court shenanigans to the court as well and pulls it off with elan. The statistics are staggering for the all rounder - a grand total of 332 points neatly divided into almost half points accrued from raids and the other half from tackles.

Ahead of the fifth edition, Sandeep's confidence must be sky high after a World Cup win and also becoming one of the most expensive buys in the auctions.

#5 Rajesh Mondal

Mondal was part of both the Patna sides that went on to win the trophy in the last two editions

Retained ahead of season 4 by Patna Pirates along with Pardeep Narwal, Rajesh Mondal will be seen in different colors this time around. Mondal's greatest strength is not his speed but his guile.

The raider relies on touch points and has established himself to be an exceptional escape artist whose fooling of a group of defenders in seconds is pretty much a spectacle to behold.

What Mondal also possesses is a big heart that makes him such an important member of the team for his successful execution of the do-or-die raids. With Deepak Niwas Hooda, Mondal's partnership has to click for the Paltans to increase their title chances.