New-look Bengaluru Bulls aim to reclaim lost glory in PKL Season 12

Pro Kabaddi Season 6 champions Bengaluru Bulls will be looking to get their hands on the prestigious PKL title once again in Season 12 after an underwhelming campaign last season.

Ahead of PKL Season 12, the Bulls released Randhir Singh Sehrawat from his responsibilities as head coach after finishing at the bottom of the Season 11 league standings with 19 points from 22 games. Sehrawat was at the helm of the Bulls since the inaugural season and guided them to the Playoffs in six out of the 11 seasons.

Two-time PKL title-winning coach BC Ramesh has joined the Bengaluru-based outfit as their new head coach. BC Ramesh was the assistant coach of the Bulls during their title-winning campaign in 2018-19. He returns to the franchise after leading Bengal Warriorz (Season 7) and Puneri Paltan (Season 10) to PKL triumphs.

Under their newly-appointed head coach, the Bulls were one of the busiest teams at the PKL Season 12 Player Auction and completed a major squad overhaul with plenty of exciting talents. With that in mind, let’s assess the strengths and weaknesses of their squad ahead of Season 12.

Strengths

The Bulls’ formidable defensive unit will be their biggest strength in the upcoming edition of the Pro Kabaddi. They have bolstered their defence by acquiring the services of right corner Yogesh Dahiya at the Season 12 Player Auction for a whopping INR 1.125 crore - the most expensive defender in the league’s history. Yogesh has been one of the consistent defenders in the last two PKL seasons and has racked up 149 tackle points in 45 matches.

The PKL Season 6 winners have further strengthened their defence by roping in experienced left corner Ankush Rathee at his base price of INR 30 lac. Since his PKL debut in Season 9, Ankush has been one of the top defenders in the league with 227 tackle points in 69 games.

The Bulls also snapped up right cover Sanjay Dhull for INR 60 lac and left cover Dheeraj for INR 40.20 lac at the Season 12 Player Auction.

Additionally, the likes of Lucky Kumar (right cover), Deepak S (left corner), Shubham Rahate (left cover), Manish and Satyappa Matti (right cover) are some of the other talented defenders in their squad.

Weaknesses

While their defence looks strong on paper, Bengaluru Bulls’ attack leaves much to be desired.

Ahead of the Season 12 Player Auction, the Bulls retained young raiders Pankaj and Manjeet. They also added right raider Aashish Malik from the nominated New Young Players category for the upcoming season.

The Bulls also spent INR 53.10 lacs on raider Akash Shinde at the auction to reinforce their raiding unit. Akash has already accumulated 296 raid points in 57 matches in the PKL so far.

Apart from Akash, the Bulls lack well-established raiders who have made an impact in the league.

Even though they also have Pirati Srisivatejesh (left raider), Ganesha B. Hanamantagol (right raider), Shubham Bitake and Mahipal in their ranks, it remains to be seen if these talented raiders can raise their game in the marquee league.

Opportunities

After two consecutive seasons of league-stage exits, the new-look Bulls will have an opportunity to return to the PKL Season 12 Playoffs under the tutelage of head coach BC Ramesh.

Furthermore, the forthcoming season will offer a perfect platform for the likes of rising stars such as Aashish Malik, Dheeraj, Shubham Bitake, Alireza Mirzaeian and Ahmadreza Asgari to showcase their talents and make a mark in the league.

Threats

The lack of experienced raiders is a potential threat to the team as it could affect their overall chances of securing a Playoff berth in PKL Season 12.

As a result, the Bulls could be heavily reliant on raider Akash Shinde in the upcoming season, and will need help from other inexperienced attackers if they are to seal a top-six finish.

Additionally, the franchise also lacks leaders in their squad and could miss someone like their former captain Pardeep Narwal, who has officially retired from the Pro Kabaddi League.

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