PKL 12: Three players Haryana Steelers should target in auction

Haryana Steelers have retained most of their core.

The team which hates an auction going into the next season is always the defending champion. Haryana Steelers, hence, go into the Pro Kabaddi League Season 12 auctions, set to take place on 31st May and 1st June in Mumbai, having retained most of their players from the title-winning outfit last season.

They had finished at the top of the table in the league stage, with sixteen wins and six losses, before defeating the UP Yoddhas in the semifinal and the Patna Pirates in the final.

Haryana Steelers have retained as many as nine members in their squad, releasing nine others. Among these, the biggest name to enter the auction pool is Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh, who was released due to price constraints.

Others to be released include Sanjay Dhull and Sanskar Mishra, while the likes of Vinay, Shivam Patare, Jaideep Dahiya and Rahul Sethpal will continue to adorn the blue jersey in the upcoming season.

Haryana Steelers just have a few gaps in their potential starting 7. With a decent budget available, they would have a few specific targets in the PKL 12 auction, which could potentially include the following names.

Also Read: Three players Jaipur Pink Panthers should target in auction

3. Manjeet Dahiya

The Haryana Steelers had the third-highest number of raid points in the previous edition and would be expecting more of the same from Vinay and Shivam. They are, however, in need of a third raider. With a number of marquee raiders going under the hammer, the Steelers should be able to snap up Manjeet Dahiya at a relatively low price.

Manjeet is known to be a consistent performer and has accumulated 730 raid points in 131 matches, for five different teams since PKL 6. However, he couldn’t click as the lead raider for U Mumba last season, scoring just 97 raid points in 23 matches and was benched a number of times. With potentially much less responsibility here, coach Manpreet Singh can give Manjeet (who previously played for the Steelers in the ninth edition) the freedom to unleash himself, if they do end up making the buy.

2- Sanjay Dhull

The team had the highest number of tackle points in PKL 11. However, they were in a spot of bother at the start of the tournament, with the departure of right cover Mohit Nandal. They eventually zeroed down on Sanjay Dhull, who had a strong outing.

Hence, Coach Manpreet might want to put his money on him again to deliver. Sanjay secured 57 points in 24 matches last season and had the second-best stats for a right cover, after Deepak Singh. The Steelers have three Final Bid Match (FBM) cards available and would want to use one of them to regain the services of their right cover.

Also Read: PKL 12: Three teams who can buy Mohammadreza Shadloui in auction

1- Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh

Haryana Steelers had ended up as runners-up in the tenth season. They splurged nearly their entire purse on Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh in the PKL 11 auctions. The Iranian all-rounder repaid the faith, with his aggression suiting the coach’s style of play.

He finished as the best defender in the season, with 82 tackle points in 24 matches. In fact, this is the third time in the last four seasons that he has finished at the top of the list of most tackle points. Additionally, he scored 57 raid points, proving especially effective when there were three or more opposition players on the mat.

Having racked up 354 tackle points and 94 raid points in 92 matches across four seasons, Shadloui has redefined the definition of all-rounder. The defending champions would, hence, be desperate to sign him back into their roster. While Haryana Steelers have the option of using an FBM Card, it would be interesting to see if they have enough in their purse to exercise the same.

For more updates, follow Khel Now Kabaddi on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.