Pro Kabaddi: Thalaivas hopes to be fifth time lucky

BENGALURU: Tamil Thalaivas would hope to be fifth time lucky in the Pro Kabaddi League, whose ninth edition will get rolling on Friday at the Kanteerava Indoor Stadium here.

Thalaivas, which joined the Pro Kabaddi bandwagon in 2017, was unsuccessful in its pursuit of a play-off berth in each of its first four seasons. But, the Tamil Nadu-based team, having made a statement of intent, will begin with renewed energy this time.

Thalaivas splurged Rs 2.26 crore – a PKL record – at the Season 9 auction to secure a prized asset in Pawan Sehrawat, who blossomed into a world-beater during his recent three-year spell at Bengaluru Bulls. Pawan brought the Pro Kabaddi trophy to the ‘Garden City’ for the first time in 2018-19, besides finishing as the top scorer for three consecutive seasons (282 in Season 6, 360 in Season 7 and 320 in Season 8).

In Pawan, Thalaivas possesses a game-changer who can not only turn a match on its head in a matter of moments but also provide the cutting edge in nail-biting situations. The southern side badly missed a consistent performer in the previous season, especially in the second half of the campaign where it ran on empty.

A repeat is unlikely, but Pawan cannot get the job – reaching the knockouts – done single-handedly. Apart from skipper Pawan, dynamic raider Ajinkya Pawar and promising right-corner defender Sagar Rathee will have key roles to play.

Having experienced more lows than highs in the last edition where the team took the 11th spot on the table, young defenders Sahil Gulia, Mohit Jakkar, Himanshu and M Abishek will need to step their game up a notch whenever presented opportunities. A lot has been said about ‘local’ all-rounder V Visvanath, who is set for his first taste of top-level kabaddi.

Plenty of Tamil Nadu interest

The Tamil Nadu interest in PKL 9 does not stop at Thalaivas. Coach Kasinathan Baskaran has returned to the League after five years and will be in-charge of Pro Kabaddi Season 7 champion Bengal Warriors. Meanwhile, Chandran Ranjit has been anointed the captain of a new-look Gujarat Giants squad.

After an impressive season with U Mumba, V Ajith Kumar, a raider who goes about his business quietly, will be keen to end an eight-year drought for inaugural winner Jaipur Pink Panthers. Sajin Chandrasekar of Patna Pirates and Abinesh Nadarajan from Puneri Paltan – both defenders – too will look to set the mat on fire.