PKL 2019 : One unsold player who could have helped each eliminated team to qualify for playoffs
The league stage of Pro Kabaddi League 2019 is done and dusted as the top six teams of the season will now fight it out in the playoffs to determine the winner. Only two of the top six teams, namely U Mumba and Bengaluru Bulls, have won the PKL trophy earlier while the rest four teams will look to win their maiden season.
However, the pool of the eliminated teams consisted the likes of the three-time champions Patna Pirates, two-time runners-up Gujarat Fortune Giants, the season one champs Jaipur Pink Panthers, the star-studded Tamil Thalaivas, Anup Kumar's men Puneri Paltan and Telugu Titans.
These franchises missed out on the playoffs because they could not find the perfect team combination.
But this would not have been the case had they signed one game-changing player in the auction. In this article, we will have a look at the one unsold player who could have helped each eliminated team qualify for the playoffs -
#6 Bajirao Hodage - Jaipur Pink Panthers
The former Patna Pirates star, Bajirao Hodage had made a name for himself playing at the right cover position in the Pro Kabaddi League. However, he attracted no bidders in this season’s auction.
If there was one team which needed a solid right cover defender like Bajirao, it was the Jaipur-based franchise. The inaugural champions tried a lot of players in that position but nobody could cement their place in the team.
They had Sandeep Dhull at the left corner, Amit Hooda on right and Vishal at the left cover position. However, they never found a perfect right cover.
The team management of Jaipur Pink Panthers could have formed a perfect defensive unit by acquiring the services of Hodage in the auction.