Pro Kabaddi 2024: 3 most expensive buys for Telugu Titans ft. Pawan Sehrawat
In the recently concluded Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction, the Telugu Titans spent big money to acquire the services of a few key players that they believed would make them title challengers in PKL 11.
The Telugu Titans, despite having a passionate fan base, have never been able to establish themselves as a tour-de-force in the Pro Kabaddi League. In the 10 seasons of the PKL, the Hyderabad-based franchise has failed to win a single title, with their best efforts coming in seasons two and four, where they reached the playoffs.
However, since then, the Titans have constantly underperformed, including three back-to-back cellar dweller finishes.
The new team built by the Titans, however, looks better placed with depth in both the attacking and defensive departments. On that note, let’s look at the three most expensive buys for Telugu Titans at the PKL 11 auction.
Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction: 3 most expensive buys for Telugu Titans
#3 Manjeet Sharma (₹27 lakh)
One of the key areas of concern for the Titans during PKL 10 was that the team showcased no firepower in raiding and performed poorer than most teams. To address this, the Titans spent a considerable sum of money on the young raider Manjeet Sharma, signing him for ₹27 lakh.
The former Dabang Delhi KC raider was part of the side that won season eight and has been a breakout star since featuring regularly across seasons nine and 10.
Manjeet has scored 143 points from 45 matches, with a not-out percentage of 65.93%. He also has a successful raid percentage of 34%, which is higher than the overall Telugu Titan’s 31% from last season.
The Haryana-born raider will be a welcome addition to the Titans, who will look to use his flair and perseverance to turn their luck around in PKL 11.
#2 Krishan Dhull (₹70 lakh)
Right-corner defender Krishan Dhull was a mainstay for the Patna Pirates in PKL 10, ending the season as the league’s second-best defender with 78 tackle points in 24 matches. The defender has a phenomenal tackle strike rate percentage of 47% in his career, highlighting his pin-point accuracy.
Despite needing to spend big to sign the 21-year-old defender, Telugu Titans will be happy with their purchase as Dhull is the perfect candidate to shore up their leaky defense, which had an abysmal 35% successful tackle rate in PKL 10.
#1 Pawan Sehrawat (₹1.725 crore)
One of the marquee signings of the Pro Kabaddi League 2024 auction, Pawan Sehrawat returned to the Telugu Titans after the franchise exercised its 'Final Bid Match' (FBM) card to acquire his services for ₹1.725 crore.
Sehrawat is no stranger to big money moves, with the 28-year-old becoming the most expensive player in PKL history last year when the Titans bought him for ₹2.605 crore.
In the ensuing season, despite his team’s horrendous form, Sehrawat was a standout. He finished the season with an excellent 51% raid strike accuracy rate and was also handy in defense.
The Telugu Titans will hope that Pawan Sehrawat remains at his best during PKL 11 since his performance will be key to the team's chance of breaking their PKL trophy duck this year.