The Pro Kabaddi League has been around for a decade now. Ten seasons, over 1000 matches. And in all these seasons over the last decade, there simply has never been a team as dominant as the current Puneri Paltan squad. They decimated every opposition they came up against, lost just two in 24 games and deservedly won the PKL 10 title in their second successive final.
The stats tell you the story:
• They finished with a score difference of 272: the best in PKL history
• Most successful campaign in PKL ever, losing just 2/24 matches
• Most tackle points in PKL 10 [349] at a league-high average of 14.54 tackle points per game
• Scored 950 points this season: third-best in PKL history
• Conceded the lowest points [678] and least All Outs in six seasons [14]
• Coach BC Ramesh is the first to win the title with three different teams [Bengaluru Bulls (as assistant), Bengal Warriors and Puneri Paltan]
• PKL 10's MVP and best defender are from Puneri Paltan
All for one, one for all
From the very first game to Friday's final, Puneri Paltan have shown time and again just how lethal they are. And it's not that they do anything extraordinary or fancy. It's just that each player does his task swimmingly well and if someone's having a bad day, the others cover up for him. That's simply it. No gimmicks.
Each of their players added an extra element to their skillset: for example, raiders Mohit Goyat and Pankaj Mohite ramped up their defensive skills while left-corner defender Mohammadreza Shadloui gave glimpses of his raiding prowess. They played as a team from start to finish, each of them playing for the logo on their chest and not chasing individual milestones. Here's a stat to support that: among all the 12 teams, Puneri Paltan scored 464 raid points this season, but all three of their main raiders have a total of eight Super 10s. For context, Arjun Deshwal has 17.
That sums up the fact that all this Puneri Paltan unit wants is the win for the team, the individual stats just don't matter.
Captain Aslam, a humble leader
Aslam Inamdar is one of the youngest captains in PKL. He succeeded PKL's most successful captain ever, Fazel Atrachali, when he was handed the reins of this team. Mind you, Aslam was coming off the Asian Games gold medal triumph and could have very well felt he was a tad more accomplished than his teammates.
But there was none of that. Aslam. Despite being a raider himself, he didn't hesitate to send Mohit or Pankaj to do the bulk of the raiding. He doubled up as a defender when the situation demanded it and he fit into any role the team needed him to play in.
The fact that nearly all the players are in their early 20s could've been a little tricky for Aslam, but he handled it with finesse and it also helped as there was never a chance for anyone to play the "seniority" card or for egos to clash.
Clever squad building
We'd written on these pages earlier about how Puneri Paltan had won the auction even before they were held by retaining the core of their team. Six out of their starting seven players were retained from last season. They let go of the Iranian duo of Fazel and Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh and replaced him with Shadloui. Who, to be fair, had a much bigger impact than the outgoing pair.
The fact that Puneri Paltan retained Aslam, Mohit and Pankaj as New Young Players is an absolute cheat code, something that the team can continue to exploit for a couple more years. They will all but hold on to this squad for next season too, giving them an edge even before the season kicks off.
Grassroots to champions
The prime reason why Puneri Paltan have such an incredible young squad is courtesy of their Investment in a youth team. The Yuva Paltan is home to Puneri Paltan's next-gen squad and gives them a realistic shot at playing for the main team. Ask Aslam, Mohit or even the two Shindes - Akash and Aditya - they've all come through the academy. Credit also has to go to former India captain and Puneri Paltan coach Anup Kumar, who took a punt on the youngsters in season 8.
Speaking to ESPN earlier, Puneri Paltan's CEO, Kailash Kandpal, said the club decided to invest in a feeder system since they noticed a "shortage of players in the pipeline"
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Meet your first-time champions - The Puneri Paltan ����#ProKabaddiLeague #ProKabaddi #PKLSeason10 #PKL10 #HarSaansMeinKabaddi #PKLFinal #PUNvHS pic.twitter.com/7wd5oV73zc
- ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) March 1, 2024
"So, we decided to develop talent from the grassroots and get a new supply of players for our team's sustenance. We have players from across the length and breadth of the country. It's not that we only have players from Maharashtra because we're Puneri Paltan, we have boys from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Haryana and Punjab as well. And we have shown them that there is something for all of them here, they can make it to the A team if they do well."
A lot of Puneri Paltan's players have also come through the Air India team, coached by Asian Games gold medallist and Arjuna awardee Ashok Shinde. He was a former Puneri Paltan coach and continues to unearth talent for the team. Aslam paid homage to Shinde after the title win by saying "We have won this title for you."
Victory through diversity
Puneri Paltan have one of the most diverse squads in PKL and that has worked in their favour. Coach Ramesh is from Karnataka, captain Aslam is from Maharashtra, Mohit is from Haryana, their second-best defender Gaurav Khatri is Punjabi, defender Abinesh Nadarajan is from Tamil Nadu while Shadloui is from Iran. They have the best from each corner of the country, as opposed to many other teams, whose talent is largely limited to Haryana.
The diversity not only gives the coach more options but also leads to culture exchange, which in turn paves the way for more holistic player development. The management has also taken the extra effort to enhance team bonding - whether it was a visit to the coastal town of Mahabalipuram during the Chennai leg, or a poolside barbecue in Bangalore or a visit to the many forts in Jaipur. The result of that is to be seen: a champion team, where each player uplifts the other, all in their quest to have that star above their crest.