PKL 11: Jaipur Pink Panthers complete squad

The two-time champions have an enviable set of raiders.

Two-time champions Jaipur Pink Panthers started off slow at the auction but made some really good buys, especially on Day 2, which have given their squad a formidable look in the lead-up to the Pro Kabaddi League Season 11 (PKL 11).

The Pink Panthers had finished second on the table last year and were looking good to defend their title. However, the Haryana Steelers had other ideas, as they stunned the Jaipur-based franchisee in the semifinal.

In the upcoming season, the raiding department will be led by Arjun Deshwal, who has been among the top two raiders of the league each time for the previous three seasons (i.e. since Jaipur signed him).

Despite releasing V Ajith Kumar, Bhavani Rajput and the legendary Rahul Chaudhary, they have a problem of plenty in terms of their raiding options. Firstly, they managed to sign Vikash Khandola, who has managed to rip apart defences, when he was the lead raider at the Haryana Steelers.

Next, they have Shrikant Jadhav, who is a veteran too and knows the art of playing second fiddle, having done so with Maninder Singh’s Bengal Warriors previously. They also signed Neeraj Narwal, who has had impressive stints with Dabang Delhi K.C. and the Bengaluru Bulls. Abhijeet Malik, who was retained prior to the auctions, is another option.

Moving on to the defence, the Pink Panthers had retained left corner Ankush (Best Defender of the Season in the ninth edition) and left cover Iranian international Reza Mirbagheri.

They, however, let go off-right cover Sunil Kumar, who has one of the calmest heads in the league. Nevertheless, they managed to replace him with another experienced albeit inconsistent Indian international in the form of Surjeet Singh.

Jaipur Pink Panthers have two options, as far as the position of the right corner is concerned. They bought back Lucky Sharma at the auction. They also managed to snap up Arpit Saroha, who is a promising youngster.

Having won the inaugural season as well as the nineth one, Jaipur Pink Panthers would want to win their third title and go equal with the Patna Pirates, as the most successful team in the league.

Here is the entire squad of the Jaipur Pink Panthers for the Pro Kabaddi League Season 11.

Raiders: Arjun Deshwal, Vikash Khandola, Shrikant Jadhav, Neeraj Narwal, Abhijeet Malik, K. Dharanidharan, Navneet

Defenders: Ankush, Reza Mirbagheri, Surjeet Singh, Arpit Saroha, Lucky Sharma, Abhishek KS, Ravi Kumar, Mayank Malik

All Rounders: Amir Hossein Mohammadmaleki, Aamir Wani

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