Puneri Paltan in PKL 9: 2 things that went right and 1 that went wrong
Puneri Paltan had their best season of the Pro Kabaddi League in PKL 9. The Pune-based franchise reached the final of the tournament for the first time. They were close to winning their first title as well but Jaipur Pink Panthers beat them by four points in the end.
Overall, Puneri Paltan were quite dominant throughout the Pro Kabaddi 2022 season. They could not win their first three matches but once they registered their first win, the Paltan became unstoppable. The Pune-based franchise finished second in the points table with 80 points from 22 matches.
The Puneri Paltan team recorded 14 wins in 22 matches. They defeated the resurgent Tamil Thalaivas in the semi-finals to advance to the final.
Now that Pro Kabaddi 2022 has culminated, we review the performance of Puneri Paltan and list the positives and negatives of their campaign.
#1 Thing that went right - Investing big in Fazel Atrachali
Iranian defender Fazel Atrachali did not have a great season with U Mumba in PKL 8. Fans felt that like many other defenders, Fazel's decline had started and he would soon become an easy target for the raiders.
Due to this reason, Puneri Paltan's decision to bid a staggering ₹1.38 crore for Fazel Atrachali raised many eyebrows. The Pune-based franchise went all out for the Iranian star at the auction and roped him in for a record sum.
Atrachali did not let the Pune team management down as he led the franchise to their first-ever Pro Kabaddi League Final. Playing in the left corner position for Pune, Fazel scored 56 points in 21 matches. He also recorded three High 5s for the team.
#2 Thing that went right - Yuva Paltan
Puneri Paltan run the 'Yuva Paltan' programme where they scout for young kabaddi players and groom them to become future PKL superstars. This programme has helped them nurture many young talents.
Aslam Inamdar is a product of the Yuva Paltan programme. The raider scored 150 points in 17 matches this season. Players like Aditya Shinde, Shubham Shinde and Balasaheb Jadhav also impressed. This programme will ensure that the Pune-based franchise never runs out of match-winners.
#1 Thing that went wrong - Mohammad Nabibakhsh's role
Like Fazel Atrachali, Puneri Paltan went all out to sign Iranian all-rounder Mohammad Nabibakhsh at the Pro Kabaddi 2022 auction. They spent ₹87 lakh at the auction to rope in the Iranian star.
Nabibakhsh is one of the few players who can perform in almost every position. Although he is a versatile player, it is important to give him clarity of his role as well.
Before the season started, it seemed like Nabibakhsh would be the third raider of the team, but during the tournament, he played more as a defender than a raider.
The lack of clarity impacted Nabibakhsh's performance as he earned only 36 points this season. It was the first time the Iranian star failed to touch the 100-point mark in a PKL season.