Pro Kabaddi 2022: 3 reasons why Haryana Steelers could win PKL 9
Haryana Steelers were one of four new entrants in the 2017 edition of the Pro Kabaddi League. The Haryana-based franchise qualified for the playoffs in their first season but suffered a big defeat in their knockout clash against Patna Pirates.
The Steelers had a forgettable outing in the sixth season, where they finished last in the Zone A points table. However, they made a roaring comeback in the seventh season and made it to the playoffs. However, Haryana Steelers fell short in the knockout stage yet again.
After narrowly missing out on a place in the playoffs last season, Haryana Steelers' team owners made some big changes to their squad ahead of Pro Kabaddi 2022. They released their head coach Rakesh Kumar and signed Manpreet Singh as his replacement.
Haryana also let go of their number one raider Vikash Khandola, who will now play for Bengaluru Bulls. Manpreet Singh and Co. have formed a good squad for the new PKL season. Here is the full list of Haryana Steelers players for Pro Kabaddi 2022:
Vinay, Meetu, Jaideep, Ankit, Mohit, Monu, Harsh, Naveen, Sunny, Manjeet, Nitin Rawal, Amirhossein Bastami, Mohammad Maghsoudlou, Sushil, K Prapanjan, Manish Gulia, Lovepreet Singh, Joginder Singh Narwal, and Rakesh Narwal.
Overall, Haryana have a decent-looking squad on paper. They have never lifted the PKL trophy before, but here are three reasons why Haryana Steelers could emerge as the Pro Kabaddi 2022 champion.
#1 Versatile raiding unit
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Hamare #DhaakadBoys ka junoon 👉🏼 🔥🔥🔥
#ShaanSeSteelers https://t.co/DTUZMgTb3S
Haryana Steelers submitted a massive opening bid of ₹1 crore for Pawan Sehrawat at the Pro Kabaddi 2022 Auction. However, they could not match the bids submitted by U Mumba and Tamil Thalaivas for the Hi-Flier later in the auction.
After failing to sign Pawan, Haryana shifted their focus to Category 'B' players. They signed rising star Manjeet and seasoned campaigner K Prapanjan at the auction.
Manjeet and Prapanjan will join the duo of Vinay and Meetu who were retained by Haryana before the auction. None of the aforementioned four players are among the most successful raiders in PKL, but if they play to their full potential, they can destroy any team's defense.
#2 Solid defensive unit
बेल्लारी की पहाड़ियों पर चढ़ाई! 🗻
Our Steelers had a fun day out with a trek through the hills of Bellary, as their preseason preparations continue at the brilliant @IIS_Vijayanagar facilities.
#ShaanSeSteelers #DhaakadBoys https://t.co/REDxJbCIMW
Haryana retained their successful cover duo of Jaideep Dahiya and Mohit from last season. They will continue as the two cover defenders this season and will have new corner partners in their defense.
Having released Ravi Kumar and Surender Nada from the team, Haryana needed some strong defenders for their squad. They roped in veteran defender Joginder Narwal, who won PKL 8 as the captain of Dabang Delhi KC.
New Iranian player Amirhossein Bastami has joined Haryana as well. Bastami has done well at the junior level and will make his PKL debut in 2022.
#3 Expert tactician Manpreet Singh
🏻हमारा मार्गदर्शन करने वालों को धन्यवाद! 🙏🏻
#HappyTeachersDay to every coach, mentor and guide out there. #ShaanSeSteelers #DhaakadBoys https://t.co/SNqdeQkw7k
Manpreet Singh played a major role in Patna Pirates' season three championship win. Under his coaching, the Gujarat Giants made it to the finals of the fifth and sixth seasons, respectively. The Giants also qualified for the playoffs in the last season.
Singh knows how to extract the best out of his players. He used the limited resources at Gujarat to perfection and guided the team to the top half of the points table. Haryana fans will have high hopes from their team's new coach this year.