Bengal Warriors’ predicted starting seven for PKL 9

A lot is expected from Maninder Singh and Deepak Niwas Hooda in the upcoming edition of the PKL.

Pro Kabaddi League Season 9 is set to begin on October 7 with all the teams practicing to win the title. The Bengal Warriors, one of the big names in the league, will look to win their second title. They have a strong unit this time and the inclusion of Deepak Niwas Hooda is a major boost for them. The franchise bought him for Rs 43 lakh to make their squad even stronger.

Bengal Warriors had a terrible outing in the previous season, having not qualified for the playoffs. But this time, the team’s combination is completely different, and one could expect some brilliant performances from the players. Another advantage for the franchise is that they have appointed K. Bhaskaran as their head coach for this season. He helped Jaipur Pink Panthers win the inaugural edition of the league with his spectacular coaching skills. The Warriors would also be hoping for a similar result this time. Let us showcase to you the probable starting seven of the Bengal Warriors:

Raiders

Star raider Maninder Singh would be an automatic choice for the franchise as he was retained from the elite category. Another raider, Akash Pikalmunde, can support Maninder in the raiding department. While Maninder Singh scored 262 points in the previous edition, Akash Pikalmunde played just 7 games for the Warriors. He should expect more matches this season to showcase his raiding skills.

Deepak Niwas Hooda is surely going to make it into the squad because of his all-round skills. He was bought for a huge amount of Rs 43 lakh at the auction. With his experience, Hooda can provide a good balance to the squad. Bengal also bought some young raiders as well, including Srikant Jadhav, who has enough PKL experience. He scored 100 points in the last season for UP Yoddha and would certainly be included in the starting seven of the Bengal Warriors.

Defenders

The Warriors are blessed with some exceptional defenders this time, including Surender Nada and Girish Ernak. Both of them are from the left corner and can trouble any team. Ashish Kumar is another option for the Warriors who could make the cut into seven. Other defenders who were bought during the auction are Solieman Pahelvani, Vaibhav Garje, Amit Sheron, and Praveen Satpal.

Three defenders would most likely be in the team from the aforementioned players. Keeping in mind 22 games, it is likely that every player mentioned would get a chance at some stage, depending on the situation of the team.

Here is the probable starting seven list:

Raiders: Maninder Singh, Akash Pikalmunde, Srikant Jadhav

All-Rounder: Deepak Niwas Hooda

Defenders: Girish Ernak, Surender Nada, Ashish Kumar