PKL 9: Full squad of Bengal Warriors for upcoming season

Maninder Singh, Deepak Niwas Hooda will look to win the second title for Bengal Warriors

Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 9 is set to take place in October, with all the teams getting ready to win the title. With the PKL 9 auction earlier this month, it is clear that the upcoming season is going to be one of the biggest of all time. As we are regular in letting you know about the complete squad of teams this year, today, it’s time for the Bengal Warriors.

Bengal Warriors were victorious in Season 7 after beating Dabang Delhi in the final of the league. However, their performance dipped in the previous edition as they failed to reach the playoffs. This time, the team will look to bounce back, with Maninder Singh and Deepak Hooda on board. Here is the complete squad:

Raiders

Bengal Warriors have a rock-solid raiding wing this time as the team retained Maninder Singh and Akash Pikalmunde from the Elite Category. They made their raiding department even stronger after adding Deepak Niwas Hooda to their squad in the auction for 43 lakh. They also have some young raiders who will surely get a chance in the upcoming season to showcase their skills.

Even after not being qualified for the playoffs, the Bengal Warriors have had a great season when it comes to raiding. Overall, the team scored 477 raid points in just 22 games and stood at the fourth position, whereas Bengaluru Bulls, UP Yoddha and Dabang Delhi grabbed the first three spots. Star raider Maninder Singh individually scored 262 points for his team.

Raiders in the team: Maninder Singh, Akash Pikalmunde, Aslam Thambi, Shrikant Jadhav, R. Guhan, Suyog Gaikar, Prashant Kumar

Defenders

Bengal Warriors' defense is not as good as their raiding. The team did not retain any of their defenders during the retention period. In fact, they just nominated Vaibhav Garje as the new young player in the defense department. The whole defense wing is fresh, and the Warriors will be hoping to improve in this department. Last year, no one from the Bengal Warriors’ defense list made it into the top five of most players with tackle points. This time, they'd look to turn the tables.

Defenders in the team: Girish Ernak, Vaibhav Garje, Soleiman Pahlevani, Amit Sheron, Parveen Stapal, Surender Nada, Sakthivel R, Shubham Shinde

All-Rounders

Having Deepak Niwas Hooda in the squad will boost the team’s confidence. The franchise would be hoping a lot from Deepak, who has been a star for several teams in the PKL. Apart from Deepak, the team has several other all-rounders in their squad.

All-rounders in the team: Deepak Niwas Hooda, Ajinkya Kapre, Manoj Gowda, Balaji D, Ashish Sangwan, Vinod Kumar, Rohit

New Season! New Coach!

Bengal Warriors have appointed K Bhaskaran as their new coach for the PKL 9 season. Bhaskaran has been a popular name from the very first season itself, as he was the coach of the Jaipur Pink Panthers that won the maiden PKL title. Bengal Warriors would be hoping for a similar result from Bhaskaran this time. Also, Prashant Surve will be the assistant coach of the team.

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