Pro Kabaddi 2024: Bengal Warriorz SWOT Analysis
Bengal Warriorz are among the teams to have won the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) trophy once when they achieved the feat in Season 7. They had a disappointing performance last season, where they finished seventh and failed to make the playoffs.
The Warriorz will be keen to replicate their showing from Season 7 and win their second PKL trophy. In order to do so, they made some notable changes to their side ahead of the new season. They brought in a new head coach in Prashant Surve, who served as their assistant coach in the past. Praveen Yadav has also been roped in as their assistant coach.
Bengal Warriorz were proactive at the player auction as well, adding more firepower to their squad. They secured the services of PKL's best defender, Fazel Atrachali, boosting their defense.
As they prepare to reclaim glory in Season 11, here is the SWOT analysis for the Warriorz.
Pro Kabaddi 2024: Bengal Warriorz SWOT Analysis
Strengths
Bengal Warriorz's biggest strength is the amount of experience and talent they possess in both their raiding and defensive units. Maninder Singh, one of the most consistent performers in the league, was retained by the team using the FBM card. With 1428 raid points to his name, Maninder will lead the raiding unit once again.
Along with him, they have some promising and talented raiders such as Nitin Kumar, Vishwas S, Pranay Rane, and Arjun Rathi. With the likes of these players, Bengal have enough options and depth in their raiding, which will allow them to rotate their players effectively.
The acquisition of Fazel Atrachali comes as a massive boost. Fazel has 486 tackle points and is the best defender in PKL history. He will lead the defense along with an experienced Nitesh Kumar, who has 350 tackle points to his name. With these two, they have a formidable duo in the defense with other options like Mayur Kadam and Vaibhav Garje in the mix.
Weaknesses
Bengal Warriorz have several top-notch players in their line-up. However, their biggest weakness seems to be the lack of quality all-rounders. A successful PKL team requires key all-rounders. With Sagar Kumar being the only recognized all-rounder in their squad, they seem to be lacking in this department. Sagar, with only seven tackle points in his PKL career, is also not experienced.
This could cause some imbalance and leaves a question mark on whether the Warriorz are a truly well-rounded side or not. Sagar will have to step up. The absence of key all-rounders could be an area of concern.
Opportunities
The side possesses a few young and promising talents in their line-up. These players will have opportunities to make a name for themselves in the league. Nitin Kumar impressed last season with 169 points and will be keen to build on his performance.
The likes of Vishwas S, Pranay Rane and Arjun Rathi will also be eager to prove their mettle on the biggest stage. Arjun was bought for a sum of INR 41 lakh and it will be interesting to see if he can justify the faith shown in him.
Threats
Bengal Warriorz have two key defenders in Fazel Atrachali and Nitesh Kumar. However, apart from these two, they lack reliable options in the defense. They let go of Shubham Shinde who performed well for them.
While Nitesh does bring in experience, his performances in the last few seasons have not been satisfactory enough. The likes of Mayur Kadam and Vaibhav Garje will have to step up and deliver under pressure. While they do bring promise, it will remain to be seen if they can perform consistently throughout the season.