Pro Kabaddi 2021: Ranking squads ahead of PKL 8
Pro Kabaddi 2021 will kick off at the Grand Sheraton Whitefield in Bengaluru on December 22. The season opener will feature home team Bengaluru Bulls and former champions U Mumba in a rematch of the second season's final.
The PKL is making a return after a two-year gap. The Bengal Warriors emerged as champions in 2019 by beating Dabang Delhi KC in the summit clash.
Fans should note that the squads of all 12 franchises have changed a lot ahead of Pro Kabaddi 2021. The teams participated in a player auction earlier this year, where they signed many big names.
Ahead of the start of PKL 8, here's a list ranking all 12 squads of the tournament as per their strengths.
#12 - U Mumba
Former Pro Kabaddi winners U Mumba returned from the PKL Auction 2021 with the highest purse value (₹63.30 lakh) after not bidding for the top stars.
They had retained Fazel Atrachali and Abhishek Singh before the auction, but apart from the duo, there is no other player in the final squad who can win matches for U Mumba consistently.
#11 - Telugu Titans
Like U Mumba, Telugu Titans rely majorly on two names - Rohit Kumar and Siddharth Desai. Surinder Singh and Sandeep Kandola's performances in the defensive unit will matter a lot.
The Telugu Titans have not qualified for the PKL playoffs in the last three seasons. It will be interesting to see if they can finish in the top 6 this year.
#10 Tamil Thalaivas
Tamil Thalaivas have finished bottom in all three seasons they have played so far. This year, they have reliable names like PO Surjeet Singh and K Prapanjan as well as Manjeet in the squad, each of whom could be valuable to the franchise.
The Thalaivas have a decent squad, but they lack experience in some departments and that could hurt the team's chances.
#9 Patna Pirates
Three-time champions Patna Pirates released their skipper Pardeep Narwal ahead of the Pro Kabaddi Auction 2021. They have stacked up their raid attack by signing Selvamani K, Prashanth Kumar Rai, Monu Goyat and Sachin, but their defense isn't equally strong.
Patna Pirates' defensive unit will determine how far the three-time champions reach in Pro Kabaddi 2021.
#8 Haryana Steelers
Haryana Steelers look a strong side on paper, but their right side of the defense is not so strong. Raiders such as Deepak Niwas Hooda and Pardeep Narwal could score heaps of raid points in that area.
The Steelers' chances depend majorly on their left-side defenders and raiders in Pro Kabaddi 2021.