Stacked with top defenders and quality raiders, Patna Pirates eye record-extending fourth PKL trophy

Patna Pirates will be aiming for a record-extending fourth Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) title in the upcoming Season 12. The three-time champions stormed into their fifth PKL final last season, only to go down to the Haryana Steelers.

After missing out on their fourth PKL trophy, the Pirates released former head coach Narender Redhu just a few hours after the Season 11 final.

Ahead of Season 12, the Pirates 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 clinched Asian gold medals in 2010 and 2014, the South Asian gold medal and the Kabaddi World Cup in 2016. The Arjuna Award winner guided U Mumba to Pro Kabaddi League finals in the first three seasons, including claiming the coveted PKL title in Season 2, before concluding his illustrious PKL career with the Jaipur Pink Panthers.

Having retained their core from the previous campaign, the Pirates signed eight new players at the PKL Season 12 Player Auction to assemble a strong squad that covered most of the bases for a total amount of INR 4.966 crore. Let’s have a closer look at the Pirates’ strengths and weaknesses ahead of the new season.

Strengths

One of the Pirates’ biggest strengths heading into PKL Season 12 will be their formidable defensive unit. After retaining their defenders Hamid Mirzaei Nader, Thiyagarajan Yuvaraj and Navdeep, the Pirates 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. With 79 tackle points in 25 games, Ankit played a pivotal role in guiding the Pirates to the final last season.

The Pirates also exercised their FBM card to reacquire the right cover Deepak Singh for INR 86 lacs for two seasons. Deepak emerged as one of the top right covers in the league last season with 64 tackle points in 25 matches.

Furthermore, the three-time PKL winners bolstered their defence by signing right corners Sombir Gulia and Amin Ghorbani for INR 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.

Weaknesses

Even though the Pirates retained rising star Ayan Lochab and signed veteran raider Maninder Singh for INR 20 lacs at the PKL Season 12 Player Auction, one area of concern for the Pirates will be the departure of their former raider Devank, who was instrumental in their success last campaign. Devank took the league by storm and emerged as the standout raider of PKL Season 11, helping the Pirates to qualify for the final. With a staggering 301 raid points in 25 games, Devank claimed the coveted Best Raider award for his consistent performances throughout the season.

Additionally, the Pirates will miss the services of their former captain and right corner Shubham Shinde, who joined Telugu Titans for INR 80 lacs at the recently concluded auction. With 56 tackle points in 22 matches, Shubham was one of the standout defenders for the Pirates last season.

Opportunities

With the departure of Devank Dalal, Pro Kabaddi Season 12 will offer the perfect opportunity for someone like Ayan Lochab to stake his claim as the lead raider of the Patna Pirates. Rising star Ayan hogged the limelight in PKL Season 11 to earn the coveted New Young Player Award for his brilliant debut campaign. 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.

After a quiet season with 100 raid points in 15 matches, Maninder Singh’s addition to the Pirates brings valuable depth and experience to the squad. The spotlight, however, will be on Anup Kumar, PKL’s most successful captain, who returns as head coach after his stint with Puneri Paltan in Season 8. His unparalleled game sense and player-first mindset could be the X-factor, enabling him to connect with the team in ways few other coaches can and potentially shape a new era for the Pirates in Season 12.

Threats

Despite qualifying for the PKL Season 11 final, the Pirates parted ways with former head coach Narender Redhu and roped in Anup Kumar as their head coach for Season 12. After finishing his PKL career with 527 raid points and 69 tackle points in 91 matches as a player, Anup was appointed the head coach of the Puneri Paltan in Season 7. Under his guidance, Puneri Paltan failed to qualify for the Playoffs after finishing 10th in the 12-team competition. Hence, it is difficult to say how the Pirates 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.

Apart from Ankit Jaglan, the Pirates lack quality all-rounders in the squad, which could pose a significant area of concern to the team’s fortunes in Season 12.

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