PKL 12: Pawan Sehrawat will play as defender, says Tamil Thalaivas' assistant coach D. Suresh Kumar

Tamil Thalaivas aim for their first-ever trophy in PKL 12.

Tamil Thalaivas had a below-average season 11 under the guidance of J. Udaya Kumar and Dharmaraj Cheralathan. After a dissatisfying season, the management has returned to the normal coaching routine. Ahead of Season 12, the Thalaivas have appointed Sanjeev Baliyan as the head coach, while D. Suresh Kumar has been appointed as the assistant coach.

The new coaching duo has built a strong squad for the Pro Kabaddi League Season 12. The team looks strong on paper, and with the experience of Baliyan and Kumar, they will certainly be top contenders for the title.

Tamil Thalaivas‘ assistant coach D. Suresh Kumar was kind enough to take some time out after the PKL 12 auction and give an exclusive interview to Khel Now, where he spoke on several topics.

Here’s what he said:

New challenges in the new franchise

“The motive remains the same: We have come here to win the trophy. The team looks pretty strong as well. Arjun Deshwal has joined, and star player Pawan Sehrawat is also with us. This time, we have a higher chance of winning the trophy.”

Also Read: PKL 12: Top five best players of Tamil Thalaivas in Pro Kabaddi 2025

What was your auction strategy?

This time, we wanted to pick the right raider in the auction. Regardless of the cost, we were determined to buy the right raider. We wanted a star-value player, and we were lucky to get Pawan early in the auction. Then, we also grabbed Arjun.

The team has a good mix of senior and junior raiders, which makes our attack complete. Coming to the defence, we have both corner defenders. We also have 2-2 NYPs in both positions, which is the reason we retained more players. We have Sagar Rathee, who will control our defence.  

Watch the full Interview here:

Dilemma of having 4 main raiders

No, there is nothing like that. Even if we get 10 raiders in our squad, we wouldn’t have a problem with that. It is a long season, and raiders are prone to injuries. So, we cannot play a whole season with just a couple of raiders on our side. We need at least 5-6 raiders and 8 defenders. So, among the 14 players, we need to have a variety of raiders as well as defenders.

Hence, the options won’t be a trouble. We will distribute the matches among the players to manage their workload. More raiding options will give us the freedom to choose among them. If a certain raider gets a good rhythm and scores points against a certain team, or vice versa, we can act accordingly.

So, the options are good. If the right raider gets tanked, we will attack from the left, and if the left raider gets tanked, we will attack from the right. We have a big advantage with the options.

Goals and planning for the upcoming season

“We will take a few matches to settle down as a team in PKL 12. We will evaluate which combination works better in defence and which combination will work in attack. We will observe and make necessary changes after the first couple of matches. After that, our next goal will be to make it to the playoffs. Then, we will aim for the trophy, which is the ultimate goal.”

First choice for the covers

We have both RYP (Retained Young Players) and NYP (New Young Players) as cover defenders. We will observe the players in the pre-season camp. The players who will play well in combinations will be selected for the starting 7. The cover defenders in our team are a bit inexperienced, so we will get to know things better after some practice.

Working alongside Sanjeev Baliyan

We have been playing together since 1999. When I played for the Indian Railways, he was the coach there. Then I got into the Pro Kabaddi League, and he became a coach in the PKL. He is a senior player to me, but we work well together. Our decisions are quite aligned, and that is what makes us a good pair of coaches.

Pawan Sehrawat’s role in Tamil Thalaivas

Pawan Sehrawat is an all-rounder. He will raid, and he will also play at the cover position. If we find any position weak, he will be assigned to that position temporarily. It is what makes him a crucial buy for the team.

Message for Tamil Thalaivas’ fans

We will give good results to the fans this year. The fans will speak to us after seeing our game this season.

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