PKL 11: Puneri Paltan predicted starting 7

The Pro Kabaddi League has seen a successful completion of a decade having grown from just a league to the second-most watched league in India. Even for teams they have grown strategically as well to build a squad not only for a season but also for the future. Puneri Paltans is a classic example of this.

After relying on legends like Ajay Thakur, Manjeet Chhillar, Surjeet Singh, and Deepak Niwas Hooda for the first few seasons, they realized that all sizes don’t fit a single person. They wanted to tailor-make players who all can make a great team. They started a talent scout program with Yuva Paltan and found the likes of Aslam Inamdar and Mohit Goyat.

It was evident in season 10, when they dominated the entire season, losing only two games. Their score difference of 272 was the best in PKL history. Coach BC Ramesh, who built the squad, became the most successful coach, lifting the trophy for the third time in tournament history as part of the support staff. They will be eager to repeat it again in season 11. Let’s look into their squad and the starting seven.

Terrific Raiding Trio

Many teams have succeeded in PKL thanks to raiding superstars like Pardeep Narwal for Patna Pirates and Pawan Sehrawat for Bengaluru Bulls. But Puneri Paltans have taken a different route as they have relied on a team of raiders. Aslam Inamdar their skipper will be the leader of the attack. He understands the importance of his presence, hence directs his raiding stars to do the bulk of the scoring.

The all-rounder concentrates on being on the mat for most of the time. His partnership with Mohit Goyat will be on one of the highlights once again. While the skipper attacks from the left, Mohit is primarily a right raider. Hence the defenders just can’t relax and with the addition of Pankaj Mohite, the attack has strengthened as they share the duties to keep themselves fresh. They have added the impressive V.Ajith Kumar who could walk into any line-up making them a heavy-scoring team.

Defense – Pouncing as a pack

The defending champions scored a whopping 950 points last season. It was not only raiders but also defenders who were pinning down the raiders with ease. The opposition raiders were literally down and out with the cover duo of Abinesh Nadarajan and Sanket Sawant never shying away from a dash or a thigh hold.

The duo have been together for three seasons and the Paltans would be expecting another cracking season. The lynchpin of the Paltans’ defense was Gaurav Khatri as the right corner scored 72 points. With Mohammadreza Shadloui leaving, they have found an able replacement in Mohit Khaler. Last year, they were the only team with a 50+ tackle strike rate (54.71). If they can repeat it, they could be lifting the trophy again.

Puneri Paltans’ predicted starting seven for PKL 11:

Raiders – Aslam Inamdar, Pankaj Mohite and Mohit Goyat

Defenders – Gaurav Khatri (Right Corner), Mohit Khaler (Left Corner), Abinesh Nadarajan (Right Cover) and Sanket Sawant (Left Cover).

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