Predicting the playing 7 for Telugu Titans
Telugu Titans made history at the Pro Kabaddi League 2023 auction by becoming the first team to sign a player for more than ₹2.5 crore. The Titans went all out for Indian captain Pawan Sehrawat at the auction and spent ₹2.605 crore for his services.
Besides Pawan Sehrawat, the Titans have another big name in their squad in Parvesh Bhainswal, the team's left cover defender. However, there aren't any other big names in the Titans squad for PKL 2023.
Many fans have been wondering about the probable playing seven of the Titans. Here are our predictions for their starting seven.
Center - Rajnish Dalal
Rajnish Dalal has been with the Telugu Titans for quite some time. He joined the franchise in season six and has been with them ever since. The upcoming season will be Rajnish's fifth for the Titans.
Rajnish did an excellent job in season eight, where he finished with 112 points. However, injury issues did not allow him to play regularly last season. He will aim to remain injury-free this season and score as many points as possible for his team.
Left Cover - Parvesh Bhainswal
Parvesh Bhainswal's performance was one of the few bright spots for the Titans last season.
Playing in the left cover position, Bhainswal earned 54 tackle points in 21 matches. He established himself as the master of super tackles by executing 10 super tackles last season. Parvesh will hold the key to the Titans' success this season.
Right Cover - Milad Jabbari
The Titans roped in debutant Milad Jabbari at the PKL 2023 Auction. Jabbari plays in the right cover position. He is an Iranian player and he should be the team's first-choice right cover defender.
In case Jabbari fails to get going in the Pro Kabaddi League, the Titans have the option of Nitin Deshwal, who is also a right cover defender.
Left In - Pawan Sehrawat
Pawan Sehrawat earned the biggest contract in Pro Kabaddi League history. The Indian kabaddi team captain joined the Telugu Titans for a whopping ₹2.605 crore at the auction.
Sehrawat is probably the biggest match-winner in the PKL right now. If he fires on all cylinders, the Titans will be unstoppable in PKL 10.
Right In - Vinay Redhu
Vinay Redhu made his PKL debut for the Titans last season. He earned 42 points in 15 matches, maintaining a raid strike rate of 40%. Redhu also contributed in defense and had a tackle success rate of 31%. He can play the third raider's role for the Titans.
Pawan Sehrawat will lead the raid attack, with Rajnish Dalal being the secondary raider.
Left Corner - Ankit Jaglan
The Titans do not have an experienced left corner defender. They roped in youngster Ankit Jaglan before the 10th PKL season, who does not have any PKL experience under his belt.
However, fans have seen some debutants score big in Pro Kabaddi matches. It will be interesting to see how Ankit performs for the Titans.
Right Corner - Shankar Gadai
Shankar Gadai made his Pro Kabaddi debut for the Gujarat Giants last season. The all-rounder earned 25 points in 20 matches. He has shown promise at the domestic level, which is why the Telugu Titans offered him a contract.
The duo of Shankar Gadai and Ankit Jaglan should start as the two corner defenders for the Telugu Titans. The team also has backups in the form of Sanjeevi S. and Gaurav Dahiya.
Probable 7 for Telugu Titans in PKL 2023
Rajnish Dalal, Parvesh Bhainswal, Milad Jabbari, Pawan Sehrawat, Vinay Redhu, Ankit Jaglan and Shankar Gadai.