New Delhi, October 12
Two-time Pro Kabaddi League champions, Jaipur Pink Panthers, are set to vie for the prestigious PKL title once again as Season 11 commences on October 18. Known for their consistency over the past two seasons and their impressive performance as semi-finalists in PKL 10, the Pink Panthers are determined to go all the way in the upcoming campaign and secure their third championship.
As per the press release by the PKL, they will be led by head coach Sanjeev Baliyan - a two-time PKL winner who coached Patna Pirates to the coveted trophy in Season 3 before repeating the feat with Jaipur Pink Panthers in Season 9.
One of the most active teams at the Season 11 Player Auction, Jaipur Pink Panthers bought as many as 12 players to add to their squad ahead of the new campaign. With that in mind, here's a look at the two-time champions' strengths and weaknesses ahead of PKL 11, a release said.
Both Jaipur Pink Panthers' raiding and defensive unit look solid on paper. While Arjun Deshwal, who is eighth in PKL's all-time raid points (947) charts is once again set to lead their attack, the Panthers have further strengthened their attack following the additions of two experienced left raiders in Shrikant Jadhav and Vikash Kandola.
Raiders with lots of PKL pedigree, Shrikant Jadhav has scored 681 raid points, while Vikash Kandola has 800 raid points in PKL history. Additionally, Neeraj Narwal is another raider who can contribute significantly to the team having accumulated 175 raid points in his PKL career so far. The Panthers' defence also looks robust with the likes of Ankush, Surjeet Singh and Reza Mirbagheri, all expected to play crucial roles.
Second on the all-time leaderboard for tackle points (404), Surjeet Singh is certainly a name that needs no introduction. He will be looking to form a formidable defence with the likes of Ankush and Reza Mirbagheri, who have scored 159 and 96 tackle points respectively in two seasons each in the PKL. Ankush, in fact, was the best defender in Season 9 with 89 tackle points and he finished sixth on the leaderboard for tackle points (70) in PKL Season 10.
Even though their defence looks well settled on paper, one area of concern for the Panthers will be the departure of ex-captain Sunil Kumar, who formed a core of their squad over the last few seasons and was a crucial defender as well as inspirational leader in the team. While Surjeet Singh can be considered as a good replacement for the former Jaipur Pink Panthers skipper, there's no denying the fact that Sunil Kumar has been a lot more consistent over the last few seasons.
His leadership qualities which sees him boast a 61%-win percentage as captain, winning 65 out of the 107 matches he captained in the league makes his absence from the Panthers' team even more telling and it will be interesting to see how the two-time champions deal with Sunil Kumar's departure.
Season 11 will also be a great opportunity for players like Neeraj Narwal, Lucky Sharma and Ravi Kumar to produce impactful performances. After the Panthers let go of Sahul Kumar at the Season 11 Player Auction, Lucky Sharma can hope for a lot more opportunities. While Lucky will be eager to step up, the likes of Neeraj Narwal and Ravi Kumar will also want to make the most of their opportunities.
After an underwhelming campaign from a personal point of view the last time around, both raider Neeraj Narwal and defender Ravi Kumar will be hoping to return to their best. More than capable of taking the game to the opposition on their day, Neeraj Narwal will look to add to his 175 raid points while Ravi Kumar will be keen to add to his tally of 218 tackle points in Season 11.
One potential area where Jaipur Pink Panthers could perhaps have done better in during the Season 11 Player Auction was their acquisition of all-rounders. Currently, they have just one all-rounder in their squad in the form of Aamir Wani, who is yet to make his PKL debut.
Although their star raiders and defenders are likely to plug this gap and not let the Panthers feel the importance of a genuine all-rounder in the team, it's worth mentioning that having a player who can contribute on both ends of the mat not only helps with a team's overall balance but also gives them a slight edge in close games where players with all-round ability can often be the difference between teams.