Pro Kabaddi 2023: 5 Tamil Thalaivas players to watch out for in PKL 10 ft. Narender and Sagar
Tamil Thalaivas don't boast a successful history in the Pro Kabaddi League. Their first two seasons in 2017 and 2018-19 saw them at the bottom in Zone B. The following two seasons weren’t great for them either, as they finished 12th and 11th, respectively.
The Thalaivas turned things around in the previous season. They made it to the playoffs for the first time, finishing fifth with 10 wins and 66 points. The Tamil-Nadu-based franchise beat UP Yoddhas in the second eliminator before losing against Puneri Paltan in the semi-finals.
Tamil Thalaivas will look to take the extra mile and clinch their maiden Pro Kabaddi League title this season. Here is a look at five players to watch out for from the Thalaivas this season.
5. M Abishek
Young right-cover defender M Abishek has spent three seasons with the Tamil Thalaivas. He put up a decent performance last season, picking up 40 tackle points from 23 matches.
The youngster has built on his performance every season, and the Thalaivas will also hope for the same this season. Abishek is likely to be a part of their starting 7 and will be keen to make his mark in the Pro Kabaddi League Season 10.
#4 Ajinkya Pawar
Ajinkya Pawar is another player who can be crucial for the Thalaivas this season. He was among their top performers last time, managing 130 raid points with 3 Super Raids and as many Super 10s.
Ajinkya is an experienced campaigner, having played 71 PKL matches, and accumulating 330 raid points. He scored 100-plus raid points in Season 8 and can be a consistent performer.
Along with Narender, Ajinkya will play a vital role in the raiding department for the Thalaivas this season.
#3 Sagar
Sagar began his PKL career in the seventh season and has been with the Thalaivas ever since. He is among the retained young players ahead of PKL 10. The young sensation played 17 matches last season before suffering an injury.
Sagar emerged as their second-best defender for the Thalaivas with 53 tackle points. Sagar picked up eight Super Tackles and five High 5s with an average of 3.12 tackle points per match.
His best performance came in the eighth season where he racked up 82 tackle points. He will be expected to repeat the feat this time around.
#2 Sahil Gulia
Left-corner Sahil Gulia was the best defender for Tamil Thalaivas last season. He was also the eighth-best defender overall with 57 tackle points from 23 games.
With a successful tackle rate of 44 percent, Sahil picked up four Super Tackles and two High 5s. He has played 41 Pro Kabaddi League matches, accumulating 87 tackle points, with PKL 9 being his best season.
Sahil will play a vital role in the defense for Tamil Thalaivas in the Pro Kabaddi League Season 10.
#1 Narender
Narender had an excellent season for Tamil Thalaivas in the Pro Kabaddi League season 9. He was the fourth-best raider in the tournament with 243 raid points from 23 matches. The young raider picked up four Super Raids, 15 Super 10s, and and secured an average of 10.57 raid points per match.
Tamil Thalaivas will look forward to a similar display from the youngster as they aim for glory this season.