PKL 11 Telugu Titans: Team Profile
The Pawan Sehrawat-led outfit will be looking to win their first title.
The Telugu Titans are the only team among the original eight PKL sides to have not clinched a title yet. In fact, they last qualified for the playoffs in season 4. To make matters worse, the team has finished at the bottom of the pile in the last three seasons. In the previous edition, they could only muster up 21 points in total, shockingly winning only two out of twenty-two matches.
The main reason for that was the lack of support to Indian team skipper Pawan Sehrawat, who on a personal note had the third highest number of raid points (202) last season. It is worth noting that the management spent more than half of their total purse on him in the previous auction. They have rectified that, releasing him and then using the Final Bid Match (FBM) Card to secure his services at a price of Rs. 1.725Cr.
With a new coach in the form of Krishan Hooda and some key signings, the franchisee will be hoping to give their ever-loyal fanbase a reason to smile. Let us now analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the Telugu Titans for the Pro Kabaddi League Season 11 (PKL 11).
Strengths
While Pawan Sehrawat is likely to rack up at least 12-15 points in every match, he has players with decent quality to support him this time, which means he won’t have to play with the fear of not getting revived if he is tackled. The team has better balance in both offense and defense.
Coach Krishan Hooda had scouted the likes of Vijay Malik and Manjeet Sharma, during his tenure at the Dabang Delhi. They have now re-united in the Hyderabad-based franchisee. Malik can contribute on both sides of the mat, having scored 409 raid points and 81 tackle points in his PKL career. Manjeet has a tally of 117 raid points in his last two seasons and can be the third raider.
The defence sees the arrival of Krishan Dhull, another player whom coach Hooda is fond of. Plying his trade for the Patna Pirates last season, the right corner had finished second in the list of most tackle points, having scored 78 of them. He will be taking the responsibility of leading the defense. Right cover Milad Jabbari, who had scored 35 tackle points in 13 matches last season, will be looking to use all the experience he has gained while playing for Iran.
Weaknesses
The Telugu Titans have absolutely no momentum to work with. They have struggled to string together even a few noteworthy performances and have never really staked claim for a playoff spot for a number of seasons. Before stepping on the mat itself, there might be a few mental blocks to fight with.
The likes of Manjeet and Malik were out of form last season. The latter could only score 47 points in 14 matches for the UP Yoddhas last season. On the other hand, the former couldn’t step up and support Ashu Malik, after Naveen Kumar’s injury at the Dabang Delhi last season.
The left side of the defence might see Ankit Jaglan (corner) and Ajit Pawar (cover) line up. Neither of them set the mat on fire last season, nor do they have much experience.
Opportunities
Coach Hooda had joined the Dabang Delhi when they were languishing at the bottom half of the table. He led them to their first ever final, before winning the title the very next season. A well-respected name, the Dronacharya awardee has a chance to replicate the same at his new team.
This could also be a season of redemption for Vijay Malik and Manjeet Sharma. They have shown immense potential. Re-uniting with their former coach might just be what they would have wanted to express themselves fully.
A number of young raiders had shown promise in the last season, for the Titans. The likes of Omkar Patil, Sanjeevi and Prafull Zaware have to make full use of any opportunities they get in the upcoming edition, if they are to further their ambitions in the league.
Threats
The Titans might be tentative to begin with considering their record in their previous few seasons. Skipper Pawan Sehrawat will need to hit peak form. The new signings will have to start delivering almost immediately. In short, the team needs to fire as a unit right at the beginning.
If they lose a few early matches, it might lead to the same sense of despondency, eventually leading to potentially one more season going downhill.
However, the Telugu Titans have built a promising squad this time and will be hopeful of finally ending the long wait.
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