PKL 9: Bengal Warriors retains Maninder Singh and two others

Apart from Maninder Singh, Bengal Warriors also retained all-rounders Manoj Gowda and Raider Akash Pikalmunde.

Just few days are left for the auction of Season 9 of the Pro Kabaddi League and Bengal Warriors have decided to retain their three star players including Maninder Singh, Manoj Gowda and Akash Pikalmunde. The franchise informed about this big news via their social media handles. They wrote. "Join us to welcome our retained warriors for Pro Kabaddi League Season 9."

Here’s a glance at the performances of all these three players in PKL Season 8:

Maninder Singh

Maninder Singh, one of the most dependable raiders in the team, performed exceptionally well in Season 8 of the PKL. He played 22 matches last season with a magnificent strike rate of 65%. The champion player from the Bengal Warriors earned 262 raid points, including 16 Super 10s and 11 Super Raids in PKL season 9. Maninder also earned two tackle points throughout the season. Even after his brilliant performance, the Warriors could only manage to win nine games out of 22 and finished ninth in the points table.

Manoj Gowda

Manoj Gowda only played six matches last season of the PKL for the Bengal Warriors, out of which he earned 18 raid points, including one Super Raid. His raid strike rate was 49%, while his tackle strike rate was 43%. He also earned three tackle points, including one Super Tackle. The all-rounder was not at his very best during the season, but Bengal Warriors must have planned something for the all-rounder for Season 9.

Akash Pikalmunde

Akash Pikalmunde could only earn 15 raid points in the seven matches he played. With no Super Raids or Super 10s, Akash’s overall performance in the previous edition was below average. He also had an ordinary raid and tackle strike rate last season of 38% and 25%, respectively. It seems like the Bengal Warriors have taken a gamble by retaining Akash Pikalmunde for this season.

Performance of the Bengal Warriors in Season 8

Season 8 was not the best for the big team as the Bengal Warriors could only manage to grab nine victories out of 22 PKL matches. They lost on 10 occasions, while three of their matches ended in a tie. They would look to create a better team going forward in the auction to regain their lost momentum.

Bidding process this time

Domestic, overseas, and new young players will be segregated into four different categories: A, B, C, and D. They will be divided among all-rounders, raiders, and defenders. Category A players will have a base price of 30 lakhs, while Category B and C players will have base prices of 20 lakhs and 10 lacs, respectively. Category D players will have a base price of 6 lacs.

Every franchise has a total purse of 4.4 crore, out of which it has to make its best team. Auctions will be held on August 5 and 6, 2022.

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