New Delhi: The inaugural Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) champion Jaipur Pink Panthers will be eyeing to win their third championship in PKL after being knocked out of the playoffs in the last edition.
Ahead of the 12th season, the Panthers signed Narender Redhu as their new head coach. Redhu replaced Sanjeev Baliyan, who guided Panthers to the PKL 9 title triumph.
Redhu is among the most promising young coaches in the Indian Kabaddi circuit and has proven his worth in the last two seasons, where he guided Patna Pirates to the playoffs and then to the final in seasons 10 and 11, respectively.
The Panthers signed nine players in this year’s PKL auction and also retained their experienced defenders ahead of the new season.
Jaipur Pink Panthers’ Strengths
The Panthers retained their defensive unit and are looking solid on paper. Iranian defender Reza Mirbagheri was retained by Panthers as Reza’s stock rose in the last few seasons. His last season was outstanding with 58 tackle points in 23 matches, including two High5s.
The Jaipur franchise bought a classy all-rounder, Nitin Rawal, to their squad for Rs 50 lakhs. He was one of the best defenders in the last edition with 74 points in 22 matches.
The addition of a new coach will strengthen the chances of the Panthers to qualify for the playoffs, as Redhu is known for his tactical coaching style.
Jaipur Pink Panthers’ Weakness
The departure of their star raider, Arjun Deshwal, will be a major concern for the Panthers, as he was leading the side and also formed a core squad over the years. The star raider played a key role when the Panthers lifted the PKL title after seven seasons.
Not like the defence side, the Panthers lack quality players in the raiding department. Manjeet Dahiya, Uday Parte, and Nitin Kumar Dhankhar are the new signings of the franchise.
Jaipur Pink Panthers’ Opportunities
The Panthers signed Nitin Dhankar for a whopping price of Rs. 1.02 crore and will get the opportunity to lead the raiding pack. Dhankar emerged as the top prospect in just two years with playing just 34 matches so far in his career.
All the young retained players will also have the opportunity to showcase their talents and make a name for themselves in the PKL 12 season.
Jaipur Pink Panthers’ Threats
Panthers surprised everyone by releasing their top defender, Ankush Rathee, and not being able to get him back in the auction has opened the left corner position, which will be tough for anyone to fill the shoes of Ankush.
Ankush was among the top defenders in last season and also won the best defender award when the Panthers won the PKL title in season 9.
The lack of a proper all-rounder will also be a threat to the franchise, as they have only Nitin Rawal as the all-rounder on paper.