The Patna Pirates have also made a couple of changes but have retained the core of the team that took them to the Final in the previous season. Leading the way for the Pirates will be Sachin. He is a terrific raider that is sometimes underrated but with no Monu Goyat, there is no question of who will be the lead raider this time around. Rohit Gulia and Sajin C are likely to find enough time on the mat to make big contributions as well.
One of the stars of the previous PKL season, Mohammdreza Chiyaneh, is going to be the central point of the defensive unit. He is not afraid to take chances and is probably the most aggressive defender in the league. A player like him requires some experience and stability around him, which the Patna Pirates have as well.
Puneri Paltan found immense success in the previous season when it broke free from big names of the past and started trusting its youngsters. Aslam Inamdar, Pankaj Mohite, and Mohit Goyat are the three raiders that teams will be watching closely. Can they continue to make life tough for defenders across the PKL? We think they certainly can. Puneri Paltan has added the immensely experienced Fazel Atrachali to its defense and they also have the impressive Sombir in there as well.
We think this Puneri Paltan team has a lot of promise and will be one of the teams to watch this season.
Aslam Inamdar had 169 raid points to his name last season. That is a very impressive number for a team that divides raids quite equally between its lead raiders.
We are going to back Puneri Paltan to do well this season. We love the aggression with which it plays Kabaddi and that is the style that the format rewards the most. We also think that the Puneri Paltan is a lot more balanced this time around with the addition of experienced defenders.
Bet on Puneri Paltan to win.