Pro Kabaddi 2021: Predicting the playing 7 for Telugu Titans
The Telugu Titans are one of two franchises who have been a part of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) since the tournament's inception but have never played a single final.
The Titans have been home to some of the biggest names in the kabaddi world, including Rahul Chaudhari, Deepak Niwas Hooda, Dharamraj Cheralathan, Sandeep Narwal, Meraj Sheykh, Rakesh Kumar and several others. Despite that, they are yet to make it to the PKL Final.
The Telugu Titans have been very inconsistent over the last three seasons. Since the PKL became a 12-team tournament, the Titans have failed to qualify for the playoffs.
With the aim of ending their poor form, the Telugu Titans team management signed some big names at the PKL Auction 2021. Ahead of the Titans' first game of Pro Kabaddi 2021 against the Tamil Thalaivas on December 22, here's a look at their predicted playing seven.
Left Corner - Sandeep Kandola
The Telugu Titans signed their former left corner defender Sandeep Kandola for a whopping ₹59.5 lakh at the Pro Kabaddi 2021 auction. Sandeep has not been a part of the PKL since the tournament's second season.
The left corner defender played 16 matches in Season 2, scoring 59 tackle points. He has six High 5s to his name so far.
Left In - Siddharth Desai
Telugu Titans vice-captain Siddharth Desai received a contract worth ₹1.30 crore, making him the most expensive signing made by the franchise at the PKL Auction 2021.
The former U Mumba star was the best raider for the Telugu Titans last season. He will be keen to continue in the same vein this season.
Left Cover - C Arun
Veteran defender C Arun generally plays in the left corner, but since the Telugu Titans have Sandeep Kandola in the squad, they are likely to assign the left cover position to Arun.
The Titans signed Arun at his base price of ₹10 lakh at the Pro Kabaddi 2021 auction. Arun has played 91 PKL matches, scoring 111 tackle points, including three High 5s.
Center - Rohit Kumar (Telugu Titans Captain)
Rohit Kumar will captain the Telugu Titans in Pro Kabaddi 2021. The raider has the experience of taking the Bengaluru Bulls to the PKL title in 2018.
He was not at his best in PKL 2019, but fans should expect Rohit to come out with all guns blazing in Pro Kabaddi 2021. It will be interesting to see how Rohit performs with Siddharth Desai for the Telugu Titans this season.
Right Cover - Surinder Singh
Former U Mumba defender Surinder Singh will turn up for the Telugu Titans in Pro Kabaddi 2021. The right cover defender was very impressive for U Mumba over the last three seasons, scoring 174 tackle points and registering seven High 5s.
Telugu Titans signed him for ₹55 lakh at the auction. They will hope that the right cover defender brings his 'A' game to the table for his new franchise.
Right In - Rakesh Gowda
Rakesh Gowda made his Pro Kabaddi League debut last season and impressed fans with his excellent performances. The young raider scored 61 points in 13 matches, including a 17-point tally against Puneri Paltan.
Gowda is likely to start ahead of Rajnish for the Telugu Titans in Pro Kabaddi 2021.
Right Corner - Ruturaj Koravi
Former Gujarat Giants defender Ruturaj Koravi moved to the Telugu Titans ahead of Pro Kabaddi 2021. Koravi has 64 points to his name from 40 matches in the PKL.
The right corner defender managed to score only 17 tackle points in PKL 2019. Koravi will aim to perform his best for the Telugu Titans this season.