PKL 12: What could be Patna Pirates' auction strategy?

Patna Pirates made interesting picks in their retention list ahead of the PKL 12 auction.

If there is one word that best describes Patna Pirates in the Pro Kabaddi League, it is a talent-producing factory. Since the inaugural edition, they have produced talents that have become stars over the last decade. Be it from Pardeep Narwal to Devank Dalal in the raiding department or Mohammadreza Shadloui to Ankit Jaglan on the defence front, they have given many stars to the world of Kabaddi.

The three-time champions would have identified the next set of stars for the upcoming season. The Pirates have appointed the legendary Anup Kumar as their head coach, who loves working with youngsters. They have already made the headlines with their interesting choices in the retention list. The biggest change among these was the removal of last season’s best raider, Devank Dalal, from the team.

They have retained Thiyagarajan Yuvraj in the Elite list, and their strategy team must have found some spark in him, as in the three seasons he has represented Pirates, he has played 30 matches, scoring 15 points only. They filled their spots in the New Young Player category with Ayan Lohchab leading the list. Their strategy will again be to concentrate on the youngsters.

Getting back Devank should be the top priority

Not many experts gave Patna a chance at the start of the season last year. Devank Dalal’s 25-point performance against Tamil Thalaivas won him the match, brought him fame, and added his name as one of the star raiders in the upcoming auction.

Also Read: PKL 12: List of players released, retained by Patna Pirates ahead of auction

Patna have found success because of their raiding duos. Pardeep and Rohit Kumar in season three and Pardeep and Monu Goyat in season five took them to titles.

Devank and Ayan almost did that last year, only to be stopped by a rampaging Haryana Steelers. Hence, their first priority is to get Devank back into the team. Pardeep Narwal, Naveen Kumar, Ashu Malik, Pawan Sehrawat, and Arjun Deshwal are available. It won’t be a surprise if Anup Kumar picks up one of these players and asks them to lead the raiding duties and the team.

Change is needed on captaincy and defence

The Pirates have let go of their impressive corner duo of Shubham Shinde and Ankit Jaglan ahead of the auction. Patna would want to have one of them back, as both were captains and handled the defensive duties perfectly. Deepak Singh is the only defensive certainty from their retention list.

They would also be eager to get Fazel Atrachali back, who could easily lead the side. The Iranian played a big role in Pirates’ title triumph in the fourth season, and his partnership with Anup Kumar is well known.

Adding him to the team will help the team control all the youngsters. Fazel has a big reputation as a skipper in PKL and would want to join hands with people with whom he has won trophies.

Krishan Dhull and Mohammadreza Shadloui are two former players of Patna, and they will keep an eye on both. They could also rely on youngsters like Yogesh Dahiya, Mohit Khaler, and more. They have made their performance talk, and Patna could be a wonderful destination where they could develop their skills.

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