Pro Kabaddi Auction 2022: 3 players Gujarat Giants should target
Former Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) finalists Gujarat Giants have released 19 players from their squad ahead of the PKL Auction 2022. The Ahmedabad-based franchise qualified for the playoffs last season but failed to capture their maiden title.
It appears that the Gujarat Giants team owners want some massive changes in the squad as they have brought in a new coach as well. Manpreet Singh, who was the coach of Gujarat ever since the franchise joined the Pro Kabaddi League, has left the backroom staff.
Former Patna Pirates coach Ram Mehar Singh is the new coach of the Gujarat Giants. The new team management has kept only five players in the squad ahead of the Pro Kabaddi Auction 2022, retaining Rakesh HS from last season.
Under the Elite Retained Players category, Gujarat retained only Sonu Jaglan, while in the New Young Players section, they have kept Gaurav Chhikhara, Sonu Singh and Sohit Malik.
Gujarat will head into the auction with a big purse value, and it should not be a surprise if they end up signing some game-changers. On that note, here's a list of three players the Gujarat Giants may target at the Pro Kabaddi 2022 Auction.
#1 Gujarat Giants may bring Pawan Sehrawat back to the squad
Pawan sehrawat released by Gujarat Giants was the biggest mistake done by any franchise in PKL.
Pawan Sehrawat played for the Gujarat Giants in the fifth edition of the Pro Kabaddi League. He was not the main raider of the team and majorly played as a a substitute.
Sehrawat moved to Bengaluru Bulls ahead of the sixth season and became the No. 1 raider of the Pro Kabaddi League. He helped Bengaluru win their maiden trophy in Season 6. Notably, Bengaluru beat the Ahmedabad-based franchise in the final to win the championship.
Sehrawat was the No. 1 raider on the leaderboard last season. Many teams will bid for him at the auction, but since the Giants have a big purse available, they could go all out for the High Flier.
#2 Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh
Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh played an integral role in the Bengal Warriors' championship triumph in Season 7. However, the Iranian all-rounder could not perform consistently in Season 8. As a result, the Kolkata-based franchise has released him.
Nabibakhsh is one of the best all-rounders in kabaddi right now. If Gujarat manage to rope him in, he could give a lot of balance to the squad. On top of that, he could even contribute to the leadership group of the team.
#3 Sunil Narwal
Sunil Narwal was exceptional for the Patna Pirates in last year's Pro Kabaddi League. He scored 49 tackle points and helped the Pirates qualify for the PKL 8 final.
With Patna's coach Ram Mehar Singh joining the Gujarat Giants team management, it should not be a surprise if he tries to sign some players from the Patna squad.
One of them could be Sunil, who is an excellent corner defender. It will be interesting to see if the Giants even go for Sachin Tanwar, who started his career at Gujarat and then moved to Patna last season.