New Delhi: Patna Pirates will be looking to win their record fourth Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) title in the upcoming Season 12, which is set to begin on August 29. The three-time champions qualified for their fifth PKL final last season, but lost against the Haryana Steelers.
After missing out on their fourth PKL trophy, the franchise released former head coach Narender Redhu and appointed former India Kabaddi team captain Anup Kumar as their new head coach, replacing Narender Redhu.
Anup was a member of the Indian national Kabaddi team that won Asian gold medals in 2010 and 2014, the South Asian gold medal and the Kabaddi World Cup in 2016. He led U Mumba to PKL finals in the first three seasons, and won the title in Season 2, before ending his astonishing PKL career with the Jaipur Pink Panthers.
After retaining the core squad from the previous season, the franchise has signed eight new players at the season 12 player auction. The Pirates have assembled a squad that covers most of the bases, spending Rs 4.966 cr. Let’s have a closer look at their strengths and weaknesses ahead of the new season.
Patna Pirates strengths
The franchise has assembled a strong defensive unit, leading into the PKL Season 12. The Pirates have retained their defenders Hamid Mirzaei Nader, Thiyagarajan Yuvaraj and Navdeep. They also used their Final Bid Match (FBM) option at the Player Auction to retain their star left corner Ankit Jaglan for INR 1.573 crore for one season to strengthen their defence.
They also used their FBM card to reacquire the right cover Deepak Singh for Rs 86 lacs for two seasons. He was one of the top right covers in the league last season with 64 tackle points in 25 matches. The franchise also strengthened their defence by signing Sombir Gulia and Amin Ghorbani for Rs 13 lacs each.
Sanket Sawant (left cover), Saurabh, Prianshu, Balasaheb Shahaji Jadhav (right cover), and Deepak Rajender Singh (right cover) are their other defensive options in Season 12.
Patna Pirates weaknesses
The Pirates have retained rising star Ayan Lochab and also signed veteran raider Maninder Singh for Rs 20 lacs at the PKL Season 12 Player Auction. But the departure of their former raider Devank will be a big blow for them, as he helped the franchise to qualify for the final.
Devank scored a staggering 301 raid points in 25 games and claimed the Best Raider award for his consistent performances throughout the season. The franchise will miss the services of their former captain and right corner Shubham Shinde, who joined the Telugu Titans.
Patna Pirates opportunities
The upcoming season will offer a good opportunity for young talents like Ayan Lochab to claim his spot as the lead raider of the franchise. Rising star Ayan got the spotlight in PKL Season 11 and won the new Young Player Award for his brilliant debut season.
Ayan accumulated 184 raid points in 25 games for the Pirates, including four Super Raids and seven Super 10s. He also contributed with nine tackle points. Maninder Singh’s addition to the Pirates squad also brings valuable depth and experience to the team.
Patna Pirates threats
The Pirates parted ways with former head coach Narender Redhu and signed Anup Kumar as their head coach for Season 12. He finished his PKL career with 527 raid points and 69 tackle points in 91 matches as a player, and was appointed the head coach of the Puneri Paltan in Season 7.
Under his leadership, Puneri Paltan failed to qualify for the Playoffs after finishing 10th. Hence, it is difficult to say how the franchise will perform under Anup, and his inexperience as a head coach could be one of the threats for the Pirates heading into the new season.