Pro Kabaddi 2024: Ranking all 12 teams based on their defenders
Pro Kabaddi 2024 will begin shortly. The auction for the 11th edition of PKL happened last week in Mumbai, where the 12 franchises spent crores of rupees to sign the biggest of kabaddi stars.
As always, the team owners invested more funds in raiders' services, but it is a well-known saying in kabaddi that raiders win you matches, defenders win you tournaments. The team with the strongest defense has always dominated in the PKL and the same trend should continue in the upcoming season.
Now that the Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction is done and dusted, here's a glance at the ranking of all 12 teams based on their defensive unit.
#12 Telugu Titans
The story of season 10 might repeat for Telugu Titans if Krishan Dhull, Vijay Malik and Pawan Sehrawat do not fire all cylinders. Dhull will have to continue in the same vein after a fantastic season as Patna Pirates' right corner in season 10, while Malik and Sehrawat will have to contribute to raid and defensive units.
The team's two left cover options are Ajit Pawar, Mohammad Malak and Amit Kumar, while for the right cover, Titans will have to choose from Sagar Rawal and Milad Jabbari. Ankit Jaglan and Sunder are the team's left corner options. Titans fans will have to hope that the new players step up and deliver the goods for their franchise.
#11 Gujarat Giants
Gujarat Giants have one of the best raid attacks in Pro Kabaddi season 11, but the same cannot be said about their defense. The Ahmedabad-based franchise let go of Fazel Atrachali and could not sign Mohammadreza Shadloui despite having the biggest purse at the auction.
Sombir Gulia and Neeraj Kumar can take care of the defense's right side, but the left side looks inexperienced on paper. Jitender Yadav, Harsh Lad and Nitesh Lather are the team's left corner options, while Balaji D and Vahid Rezaeimehr are the left covers.
#10 Bengal Warriorz
With the arrival of Fazel Atrachali and Nitesh Kumar, Bengal Warriorz's defense looks quite strong on paper. However, it remains to be seen if Fazel and Nitesh can hunt the raiders like they did in their prime.
Vaibhav Garje and Shreyas Umbardand will likely form the team's cover combination. As backups, Bengal have rising stars Aditya Shinde, Pravin Thakur, Dipak Shinde and Deep Kumar in their squad.
#9 Jaipur Pink Panthers
Two-time champions Jaipur Pink Panthers shockingly released their captain and right cover defender Sunil Kumar ahead of the Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction. Sunil controlled the defense brilliantly in the last two seasons.
Replacing him in the team is veteran defender Surjeet Singh, who was Bengaluru Bulls' best defender in PKL 10. Ankush Rathee and Reza Mirbhageri will continue as left corner and left cover. With Sahul Kumar's exit, either Lucky Sharma, Arpit Saroha or Ronak Chaudhary will have to play as right corner for Jaipur.
#8 Bengaluru Bulls
Elite right corner defender Saurabh Nandal was unsurprisingly retained by Bengaluru Bulls before the Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction. The team's other right corner options are Arulnanthababu and Hasun Thongkruea.
Parteek Gulia and Rohit Sharma are left cover options, with the right covers being Ponparthiban S and Lucky Dhankar. Most of the Bulls' defenders are new to PKL. Veteran left corner Nitin Rawal will have enormous responsibility on his shoulders.
#7 UP Yoddhas
UP Yoddhas were known for retaining their core group of defenders in Pro Kabaddi League. However, this time, they have released right corner Nitesh Kumar and left cover Gurdeep Sangwan.
Left corner Sumit Sangwan has retained his place along with right cover Ashu Singh. For right corner, the Yoddhas have shown faith in Sahul Kumar, while Mahender Singh is Gurdeep's replacement. While the defense looks complete, a lot will depend on Mahender and Sahul's consistency.
#6 Haryana Steelers
Haryana Steelers could have been the number one team on this list, but Mohit Nandal's exit has left a massive hole in their squad. Jaideep Dahiya, Rahul Sethpal and Mohammadreza Shadloui will have to bring their 'A' game to the table and ensure the right cover does not get exposed.
For right cover, the Steelers have Sanjay Dhull and Manikandan M. It will be interesting to see which of the two defenders can make up for Mohit's absence in the Pro Kabaddi League.
#5 Puneri Paltan
Mohammadreza Shadloui's exit will have a major impact on Puneri Paltan's defense. The defending champions signed Mohit Kaler and Aman Antil as left corner options at Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction, but it will be challenging to replace Shadloui in that position.
Gaurav Khatri, Abinesh Nadarajan and Sanket Sawant will continue being the team's other first-choice defenders. Even Aslam Inamdar and Mohit Goyat support the defense brilliantly in crucial moments.
#4 Dabang Delhi KC
Dabang Delhi KC retained their rising star Yogesh Dahiya in the right corner position and roped in seasoned pro Rinku Narwal for the left corner. Another brilliant left corner option available with the Dabangs is Ashish Malik.
Speaking of the team's cover combination, the season eight champions have Nitin Panwar and Himmat Antil in their ranks. Vikrant Khokar, Sandeep Deswal and Gaurav Chhillar are present as backups. Overall, Delhi's defense looks solid.
#3 U Mumba
U Mumba have assembled one of their most stellar defensive units in recent PKL seasons. With the pair of Sunil Kumar and Parvesh Bhainswal available as cover defenders, U Mumba can destroy any raiding unit in the tournament.
Right corner Rinku Sharma has done a phenomenal job for U Mumba in Pro Kabaddi League. At left corner, the team has three talented options in Sombir Goswami, Lokesh Ghosliya and Deepak Kundu.
#2 Patna Pirates
Three-time champions Patna Pirates have enormous depth in their defensive unit. In Shubham Shinde and Ankit Jaglan, they have a deadly combination of corner defenders. Both defenders gave sleepless nights to the opposition raiders in season 10.
For the covers, Patna invested big in Gurdeep Sangwan, who played left cover for UP Yoddhas, and his partner will likely be Deepak Rathee. Deepak did a decent job for Gujarat Giants last season. Extra options in Patna's defense include Hamid Nader, Sagar Jaglan, Manish Gulia and T Yuvaraj.
#1 Tamil Thalaivas
Tamil Thalaivas probably have the most settled defense in Pro Kabaddi League. Sagar Rathee, Sahil Gulia, Mohit Jakhar and M. Abishek's quartet has played many matches together. Plus, Dharamaraj Cheralathan's presence in the coaching staff will benefit the youngsters a lot.
The Thalaivas also have solid backups in the form of Nitesh Kumar, Amirhossein Bastami, Ashish Malik and Ronak Kharb. If Sachin Tanwar and Narender Kandola perform consistently as raiders, the Thalaivas can win their maiden Pro Kabaddi crown this season.