Pro Kabaddi 2024: Ranking squads ahead of PKL 11
Pro Kabaddi 2024 will begin tonight (October 18) with a double-header contest at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium. Home team Telugu Titans will square off against former champions Bengaluru Bulls in the first game, followed by a clash between Dabang Delhi KC and U Mumba.
The Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction was held earlier this year in August, where teams shelled out crores of rupees for the players they wanted in their squads. All teams have a strong squad after the auction, and it is tough to predict which team will win the championship this year.
However, in this listicle, we will rank all 12 teams of Pro Kabaddi League Season 11 based on their squads.
#12 Telugu Titans
Telugu Titans have managed only five wins in their last 66 matches of the Pro Kabaddi League. The Titans have stuck with the same strategy of signing two big names, one each in the raid and defense department.
Pawan Sehrawat continues to be with the team, with right corner Krishan Dhull also joining the franchise. Vijay Malik is the only other prominent match-winner in the squad. A lot will depend on how the youngsters support the superstar trio of players in the Titans squad this year.
#11 Gujarat Giants
Two-time finalists Gujarat Giants entered the PKL 11 Auction with the highest purse value. However, many fans felt that coach Ram Mehar Singh did not make the best use of the funds as he ended up spending ₹1.97 crore for Guman Singh.
Gujarat also signed Neeraj Kumar and Mohammad Nabibakhsh, two players who seem to have passed their prime in the PKL. Parteek Dahiya and Rakesh HS's performances will decide how far the Giants make it in Pro Kabaddi 2024.
#10 Patna Pirates
Three-time champions Patna Pirates raised many eyebrows when they released their best raider Sachin Tanwar and best defender Krishan Dhull ahead of the Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction. Patna did not even use the FBM card for the two players.
Instead, they have built a squad around their young match-winners Sudhakar M, Ankit and Sandeep. Patna have the potential to make it big under their new skipper Shubham Shinde, but the youngsters will have to bring their 'A' game to the table regularly.
#9 Jaipur Pink Panthers
Two-time champions Jaipur Pink Panthers let go of their master tactician Sunil Kumar before the Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction. The Pink Panthers opted to replace Sunil with veteran defender Surjeet Singh in the covers, while Arjun Deshwal is the team's new captain.
Jaipur also ended their association with experienced defender Sahul Kumar. It will be interesting to see how the two-time champions perform under their new skipper Arjun. Also, fans are curious to see if the captaincy burden has any impact on Arjun's performance.
#8 UP Yoddhas
UP Yoddhas let go of their star raider Pardeep Narwal and reliable right corner defender Nitesh Kumar before the auction. To replace the two players, the Yoddhas signed Bharat Hooda and Sahul Kumar. The Yoddhas added another experienced name to the defense by offering a deal to Mahender Singh.
On paper, the Yoddhas seemed to have covered all their bases, with Surender Gill, Ashu Singh, Sumit Sangwan, and Gagan Gowda also retained. However, Gill is an injury-prone player, while Hooda, Kumar and Singh had ordinary seasons in PKL 10. It will be a challenging task for the Yoddhas to finish in the top 6 this year.
#7 U Mumba
Season 2 champions U Mumba have the best cover duo in Pro Kabaddi 2024 in Sunil Kumar and Parvesh Bhainswal. However, the corners of their defense are not that strong.
Also, a lot will rely on Manjeet Dahiya and Mohammadamir Zafardanesh in the raiding duo. If the two tall raiders maintain their fitness well in Pro Kabaddi 2024, U Mumba can go all the way this season.
#6 Bengal Warriorz
PKL 2019 winners Bengal Warriorz retained their star raiders Maninder Singh and Nitin Dhankar from the last season. They have stacked up their raiding unit by signing Pranay Rane at the auction.
Defense was Bengal's weak point in Season 10. To strengthen the tackling unit, Bengal have signed Fazel Atrachali and Nitesh Kumar as their new corner defenders. If the two veteran defenders bring their 'A' game to the table, Bengal can make it to the top 6 this year.
#5 Bengaluru Bulls
Coach Randhir Singh Sehrawat pulled off a masterstroke at the Pro Kabaddi 2024 auction by signing the duo of Pardeep Narwal and Ajinkya Pawar. Pardeep lost his golden touch in the recent seasons, but under Randhir's guidance, he should be back in top form. Meanwhile, Ajinkya was an underrated match-winner for the Tamil Thalaivas last season.
The Bulls have a stellar defense as well, featuring Saurabh Nandal, Nitin Rawal, Ponparthiban Subramanian, Rohit Kumar, and Aditya Powar. If Pardeep returns to form, it should be a memorable season for the Bulls.
#4 Dabang Delhi KC
Dabang Delhi KC would have been ranked higher on this list had Siddharth Desai not pulled out of the tournament. Just a few days ago, Delhi shared the news of Desai withdrawing from Pro Kabaddi 2024 due to personal reasons.
Despite Desai's withdrawal, Delhi have a fiery raid department comprising Naveen Kumar and Ashu Malik. The defense looks rock solid as well, with youngsters Himmat Antil and Yogesh Dahiya, showing signs of greatness in the last season. If this quartet fires on all cylinders, Delhi will storm into the playoffs this year.
#3 Tamil Thalaivas
Tamil Thalaivas ticked all the boxes at the Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction. They added a gun raider to their team in the form of Sachin Tanwar. They already retained their core group of defenders along with their game-changing raider Narender.
Besides, the team also has two mighty Iranian defenders in Amirhossein Bastami and Moein Safaghi. If Sachin and Narender remain injury-free in PKL 11, this could be the season of the Tamil Thalaivas.
#2 Puneri Paltan
Defending champions Puneri Paltan hold the second position on this list. Pune could have been the first-ranked team had they been able to retain Mohammadreza Shadloui before the auction.
Shadloui was the team's X-factor in Season 10. While Pune have signed Mohit Kaler and Aman Antil to make up for Shadloui's absence, it will be extremely challenging for the defending champions to replace the Iranian star. The rest of the squad seems perfect though, with Aslam Inamdar set to lead the team again.
#1 Haryana Steelers
The Manpreet Singh-coached Haryana Steelers outfit seems to have the strongest squad in Pro Kabaddi 2024. The Steelers narrowly missed out on their first title in PKL 10, but now, they have the X-factor Mohammadreza Shadloui in their squad.
Shadloui will join the likes of Rahul Sethpal and Jaideep Dahiya in Haryana's defense. Apart from that, Haryana retained their value-for-money raiding trio of Vinay, Vishal Tate and Shivam Patare prior to the Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction. Haryana are the favorites to win PKL 11.