Pro Kabaddi League 2019: 5 Teams who might have a tougher road to the playoffs
The auction for Season 7 of the Pro Kabaddi League took place in Mumbai on April 8th and April 9th and the teams, coaches and support staff battled it out among each other to get a well-set, balanced side ahead of the new season which is set to commence on July 18.
There were some huge bids from the teams and 2 players crossed the ₹1 Crore mark. Siddharth Desai who was bought by the Telugu Titans for ₹1.45 Crore was the most expensive player while Nitin Tomar who returned to Puneri Paltan wasn't far behind as he fetched ₹1.20 Crore. Sandeep Narwal was the most costly all-rounder while Mahender Singh was re-bought by the Bengaluru Bulls.
After the auction, it was apparent that all teams weren't equal in strength and while some look well-built, some lack good options in either raiders or with their defence. While it's not necessary that only the side which looks good on paper makes it to the playoffs, the lack of solid options can hurt those teams.
On that note, let's take a look at 5 teams which are unlikely to make it to the playoffs.
#5 Dabang Delhi KC
Raiders: Chandran Ranjit, Vijay Malik
All-Rounders: Meraj Sheykh, Saeed Ghaffari, Pratik Patil
Defenders: Ravinder Pahal, Joginder Narwal, Vishal Mane, Anil Kumar, Sombir, Satywan, Neeraj Narwal
Dabang Delhi KC went with an interesting strategy at the auction and built their team around their defenders and had only one main raider in their side. They brought back Chandran Ranjit who impressed last season and signed Patna Pirates' utility raider Vijay Malik who can be handy during do-or-die raids. They have Meraj Sheykh who can be a menace when he's on form but last season will be one to forget for him.
Their defence is very strong, though and their corner combination is really strong. Ravinder Pahal and Joginder Narwal were great last season and will look to continue with their form. Vishal Mane and Anil Kumar can be good cover defenders for the side as well.
Overall, Delhi have a very strong defence around which their team is built but the lack of raiding options can come back to hurt them this season. Their lack of big names in their raiding unit can be a reason why they don't seem to be favourites to make the playoffs.