Pro Kabaddi 2019: Predicting the starting 7 for the Tamil Thalaivas
The seventh edition of Vivo Pro Kabaddi is all set to start with a bang on 20th July 2019. The Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad is ready to host the first leg of seventh Pro Kabaddi season. The seventh season will see all the twelve teams play each other twice in the group stage.
Tamil Thalaivas was one out of four teams that debuted back in Season 5. The team was named as the underdogs of Season 5. Under the leadership of Ajay Thakur, they defeated some big names during their debut season. In Season 6, Tamil Thalaivas looked the strongest on paper with a mixture of experience and youth. But they failed to work as a unit.
In PKL 7, Tamil Thalaivas will play their first match against Telugu Titans on 21st July in a southern derby. Their home leg will start on 17th August in Chennai and will end on 23rd August. Tamil Thalaivas signed 17 players in their squad with Ajay Thakur, Manjeet Chhillar and Victor Onyango Obiero as their retentions.
Rahul Chaudhari became the highest-paid player for them with ₹.94 lakhs. Shabeer Bappu (₹.10 lakhs) will also represent the Thalaivas. A new corner combination will be there as the Thalaivas has purchased Ran Singh (₹.55 lakhs) and Mohit Chhillar (₹.45 lakhs).
With Vivo Pro Kabaddi 2019 just two days away, here is a look at how the Tamil Thalaivas could line up for the first match of the season.
Right Corner: Mohit Chhillar
One of the most successful right corners in Pro Kabaddi, Mohit Chhillar debuted with U Mumba back in edition 1. He was the part of the Mumbai-franchise's season 2 title-winning squad. After season 3, he was the highest purchase for Bengaluru Bulls in season 4.
Now, Railways player Mohit will don the blue jersey of Tamil Thalaivas in PKL 7, after moving to through different franchises like Haryana Steelers (season 5) and Jaipur Pink Panthers (season 6). Mohit has 240 tackle points in 91 matches with an average of 2.41 tackle points.
Currently, Mohit's form is not good as he had a forgettable season with Jaipur Pink Panthers last time around.
But he is a skillful defender who can anchor any defensive setup. His defensive partnership with Ran Singh would be crucial for the Thalaivas.