Pro Kabaddi League with the second highest watch rate for any sporting event in the country is all set to bring its 9th edition which will be starting on 7th October 2022.
All 12 franchises are in a brand new look with the shifting of players in the recent auctions. Let’s start with recalling some quick highlights from the previous season.
Season 8 Review: Patna Pirates
Patna Pirates topped the points table with outstanding performance in winning 22 matches and gathering an overall 86 points. Right from the staff members to the management team all had put their heart and soul to tailor the team with a perfect balance to victory.
The raiding trio of Sachin Tanwar, Monu Goyat & Guman Singh worked very well together in seizing opponents’ moves.
Insights from Season 9: Patna Pirates
The three times champions of the Pro Kabaddi League, have recently announced their retained player lists for the upcoming season 9.
They have decided to retain six of their elite players namely –
- Neeraj Kumar
- Rohit Narwal
- Monu
- Mohmmadreza Shadlu Chiyaneh
- Sajin Chandrashekhar
- Manish Dhull
It is interesting to note that 17 players have been released by the team and Neeraj Kumar topped the Price list with a value of 55 Lacs.
New additions to the Patna Pirates squad are –
- Sachin Tanwar
- Rohit Gulia
- Sunil
- Daniel Omondi Odhiambo
- Abdul Insamam S
Patna Pirates has also played a big move by appointing “Ravi Shetty” as their head coach for the upcoming season. He was the coach of the Malaysian National team and PKL teams like -U Mumba, Jaipur Pink Panthers & Puneri Paltan in the past.
Glorious Pirates- at a Glance
Here are some of the key highlights of the overall journey of the pirates in all the seasons of the pro kabaddi league.
- Patna Pirates have finished up as runner-ups for the season 8
- They are the most successful franchise in the history of PKL
- The team had won 3 out of 7 titles and with record winning of these titles in successive seasons.
Strength of the Team
Loaded with World Class Defenders
The last season for the pirates was a good comeback after a two successive year break. They retained all their defenders who were the shining parts in the team’s qualification for the knockout stages.
All the famous defenders like – Neeraj Kumar, Sajin, etc. have been retained for balancing the team for better performance in the upcoming season. The last season’s debutant Chiyaneh is all set to continue where he left off last season.
The biggest advantage to the team is that all of their defenders have played with each other for over a year and they know how to develop winning chemistry between them.
Weakness of the Team
Room For Youngsters
Patna pirates have been tremendous in providing opportunities to young talented players and this legacy will continue to be the most successful team in the tournament.
Pirates have always focused on nurturing young talents & providing the best platform to showcase their skills. The thought process of the management can be easily understood with, the picking of 21-year-old Iranian player Chiyaneh who had proved his skills in this highly competitive tournament.
With a winning combination of champion raiders like Sachin, and Rohit Gulia and is all set to rock the stage with the experience of Sukesh Hegde.