Pro Kabaddi 2023 Auction: 3 players Bengaluru Bulls should target
The Bengaluru Bulls are one of the most successful teams in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), and over the last four seasons, they have been consistently at the top. After winning the league in PKL Season 6, the Bulls have followed it up with three successive playoff appearances, crashing out in the semi-finals on all of those occasions.
Last season, they took a big step prior to the auction, releasing star raider Pawan Sehrawat. The performances of Bharat as the lead raider ensured that Pawan's raiding abilities weren't missed that much. However, star signing Vikash Kandola couldn't quite live up to the ₹1.70 price tag and was released ahead of the PKL 2023 auction.
Similar to the Jaipur Pink Panthers and the Puneri Paltan, the Bulls appear to have retained a few of their key players, with Bharat, Neeraj Narwal, and the two corner defenders Saurabh Nandal and Aman, among the players retained.
They should have a good chunk of their budget remaining to fill the remaining holes in their squad and assemble a team that can hopefully go all the way this season. On that note, let's look at three players the Bulls should target at the auction.
#3 Guman Singh
The Bengaluru Bulls don't have as many gaps to fill as the other teams nor do they have as high of a budget to do so. They do need a reliable raider to support Bharat, with Neeraj Narwal only doing an average job last season. After releasing big-money signing Vikash Kandola, they do have that money to spend on a raider to partner Bharat, and Guman Singh could be that player.
After having a breakout season with the Patna Pirates in Season 8, Guman Singh went to U Mumba for a whopping ₹1.21 crore in the PKL 2022 Auction. He couldn't have as much of an impact as he would've liked, finishing with 137 raid points in 18 matches, but was the highest point-scorer for U Mumba.
Nevertheless, he was released by the franchise ahead of the 2023 season, and with the team looking like they're going in a new direction, there's a good chance they won't use their FBM card on him.
The 24-year-old looks like he can only get better, and partnering him with Bharat could make the Bengaluru Bulls even more of a raiding powerhouse.
#2 Vishal Lather
The Bengaluru Bulls are currently without a captain after releasing left cover defender and captain Mahender Singh ahead of the auction. Mahender is one of India's best left covers, but over the last two seasons, he has grossed only 85 points, a disappointing tally for a player of his caliber.
With the Bulls releasing him into the auction despite paying less than ₹30 lakh to retain him last time around, it feels like they're unlikely to go in for him again.
Now that they're in the market for a new left cover defender, ex-Dabang Delhi and Jaipur Pink Panthers left cover Vishal Lather could be the ideal replacement. He comes into this season on the back of a stellar effort for Dabang Delhi KC, picking up 58 tackle points in 22 matches, finishing the season as their best defender.
With that said, it was surprising to see him let go after such a performance. While there is likely to be some bidding for his services, considering that this is one of the few areas the Bulls need strengthening, they should go all-out to try and sign him.
#1 Rohit Gulia
Rohit Gulia has been an underrated player for a while now since he made his debut in PKL Season 5. Despite having a stellar season as Patna Pirates' support raider, he has been released by the side and that's surprising, considering he was purchased only for ₹30 lakh.
Rohit picked up 148 raid points in 19 matches, averaging 7.79 points/match, acting as a good foil for Sachin Tanwar. He was pretty useful in Do-or-Die raid situations, ranking ninth on the list of points scored in do-or-die raids.
The Bulls ranked ninth out of 12 teams when it came to this parameter, and they'll appreciate having another raider who's calm and delivers under pressure apart from Bharat.
Considering their budget and team requirements, Rohit Gulia looks like the perfect purchase for the Bengaluru Bulls. Since he is a reliable second raider who should work well alongside Bharat and Neeraj Narwal, it won't be a surprise if the Bulls actively bid for him at the auction table.