Solid defence coupled with potent attack make Tamil Thalaivas genuine title contenders for PKL Season 10

Even though they didn’t clinch the title, Tamil Thalaivas had their best ever Pro Kabaddi season last year by making it to the semi-finals. They will be keen to better their performances from last year in the upcoming PKL campaign and get their hands on the coveted trophy as they bid to go all the way in Season 10.

Aiming for continuity from the last campaign, the Thalaivas retained as many as 10 players in their squad for PKL Season 10. Ajinkya Pawar was the only player to be retained from the Elite Retained Players (ERP) category. 

The likes of Sagar, Himanshu, M. Abishek, Sahil Gulia, Mohit and Aashish were retained from the Retained Young Players (RYP) category, while Narender, Himanshu Narwal and Jatin were retained by them from the Existing New Young Players category.

They also brought back Himanshu Singh with the help of the Final Bid Match (FBM) card at the Season 10 Player Auction.

Attacking Armoury

Tamil Thalaivas’ attack looks quite impressive with the likes of Narender, Ajinkya Pawar, Selvamani K, Himanshu Singh and Himanshu Narwal in their ranks. Narender was the leader of the pack with 243 raid points in Season 9 and finished among the top five raid point scorers last year. Like Season 9, Narender will be hoping for attacking support from the likes of Ajinkya Pawar and Himanshu Singh in the upcoming campaign. Ajinkya Pawar and Himanshu Singh chipped in with 130 raid points and 45 raid points respectively last year. 

The Thalaivas have also signed seasoned campaigner Selvamani K for PKL’s landmark 10th season. Selvamani has scored 154 raid points in 58 PKL matches so far and can be vital for the Thalaivas in attack. Himanshu Narwal, who enjoyed limited game-time with Tamil Thalaivas last year, is another player who is capable of contributing raid points to the team. 

Domineering Defence

The Thalaivas’ defence looks as strong as their offence and similar to their raiding department, they’ve managed to retain the core of their defensive unit from last season. For the cover positions, they have got one of the top performing pairs from Season 9 in M. Abishek and Mohit, who notched up 40 tackle points and 32 tackle points respectively last year.

Meanwhile, for the corner positions, the duo of Sagar and Sahil Gulia will be taking the mat for the Thalaivas. Sahil Gulia was the top scorer in defence in Season 9 for the Thalaivas with 57 tackle points, while Sagar amassed 53 tackle points. This pair provided quality to the team’s defence last year and a lot will depend on them if Tamil Thalaivas are to enjoy a successful season.

Additionally, Amirhossein Bastami and Himanshu aren’t exactly pushovers in defence for Tamil Thalaivas. Amirhossein Bastami who made his PKL debut with Haryana Steelers last year, scored 23 tackle points while Himanshu has accumulated 32 tackle points and 74 raid points in the 38 Pro Kabaddi matches that he has played so far.

Last year also witnessed head coach Ashan Kumar performing outstandingly after he joined the Thalaivas midseason and played a massive role in the team’s resurgence following a disappointing start to the campaign. He will once again be expected to get the best out of his team in Season 10 and with a full pre-season with the squad under his belt this time around, expect Tamil Thalaivas to surprise many opponents in the upcoming campaign.