Ajay Thakur picks Top 4 teams of Pro Kabaddi 2024, leaves out Bengaluru Bulls and U Mumba
Kabaddi expert Ajay Thakur recently picked his top four teams after the Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction. In Thakur's view, Puneri Paltan seem to be the strongest team on paper after the auction.
Thakur appeared on Star Sports KBD Live Auction Review special episode to discuss what transpired at the Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction last week. When the host asked Thakur to list his top four teams, the former Indian kabaddi player started the list with defending champions Puneri Paltan.
Thakur then proceeded to add Pawan Sehrawat's Telugu Titans and Sachin Tanwar's Tamil Thalaivas to the list before completing his top four with two-time finalists Gujarat Giants.
Former Pro Kabaddi League champion Rishank Devadiga was also present on the show. However, Devadiga refrained from making any picks. He said that all 12 teams look equally balanced and added that fans should expect some surprises in the 11th season of PKL.
Will Ajay Thakur's top four picks prove correct in Pro Kabaddi 2024?
It is pertinent to note that Puneri Paltan and Gujarat Giants were among the teams that qualified for the playoffs last season. Pune even won their maiden trophy. Considering that the defending champions have retained the majority of their players from last season, they should make it big again in PKL 11.
Gujarat released captain Fazel Atrachali and star all-rounder Rohit Gulia ahead of the Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction. They roped in former U Mumba raider Guman Singh for a whopping ₹1.97 crore and re-signed their Iranian all-rounder Mohammad Nabibakhsh. Overall, Gujarat have a decent squad on paper.
Tamil Thalaivas and Telugu Titans did not make the playoffs last season. Both teams spent big on acquiring a star raider. The Thalaivas spent ₹2.15 crore for Sachin Tanwar while the Titans splurged ₹1.725 crore for Pawan Sehrawat. It will be interesting to see if the two raiders can justify the price tag and prove Ajay Thakur correct.