The second decade of the Pro Kabaddi League begins on the 18th of October, signalling the maturing of the league into arguably the most popular franchise sport in India after the IPL. PKL 11 brings with it a whole host of changes, including revamped squads following the player auctions in August, and a few format changes as well.
With the squads newly refreshed, there are murmurs that we could witness one of the most competitive seasons of Pro Kabaddi yet, and this bodes well after Puneri Paltan's dominant road to the title last year.
Here's what to look forward to in PKL 11.
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What's new?
We'll get to the squads later, but the headline change is a shift from the 12-city caravan format and return to a three-legged affair. The first leg begins in Hyderabad (October 18 to November 9), then moves on to Noida (November 10 to December 2) and then finishes up in Pune (December 3 to 24), after which the playoffs and the final take place in a venue to be announced later. With two games taking place almost every day, we will witness 137 games of kabaddi over the next three months.
Right, what happened in the auctions?
A major shift away from the veterans - all 12 of the teams have exceeded their New Young Player (NYP) quota, with the likes of Rahul Chaudhari going unsold, and Pardeep Narwhal only fetching ₹70 lakh. Taking a cue from defending champions Puneri Paltan, who need not have even come to the auction having retained almost all of their championship team thanks to the NYP rule with their academy products, many other franchises have focused on youth.
That said, large amounts were still spent, with Tamil Thalaivas makings Sachin Tanwar the most expensive signing at ₹2.15 Cr, closely followed by Guman Singh, who went to the Gujarat Giants for ₹1.97 Cr. Haryana Steelers, last year's beaten finalists, swooped to sign their Iranian star, Mohammedreza Shadloui Chiyaneh for a whopping ₹2.07 Cr.
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- ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) October 14, 2024
So, who's going to win?
It's hard to look beyond last season's finalists. Puneri Paltan may have lost Shadloui, but in captain and league MVP Aslam Inamdar, Mohit Goyat, Akash Shinde, Pankaj Mohite, Abinesh Nadarajan, Gaurav Khatri, Sanket Sawant, Aditya Shinde and new raider Ajith Kumar they have nine starters (from the required seven) already.
The league's most impressive attacking lineup, that revolutionised the league with having all-round raiders who spread raiding duties amongst themselves and were equally adept in defence, are a well-oiled machine - where Shadloui was an important cog - but one wouldn't put it past the team to overcome his loss. Do so, and Puneri Paltan could become only the second team ever to defend their title and coach BC Ramesh could go on to win his fourth PKL trophy.
Haryana Steelers, who had little answer to Puneri Paltan in last season's final, have shored up what they were best at last season, adding Shadloui to an already impressive defence. With coach Manpreet Singh effectively implementing the footballing equivalent of one-nil-ling his way to victory, the problem for the Steelers remains that 'one'. However, Shadloui could provide a boost in their raiding prowess as well, supporting Vinay and Shivan Patare in attack. Balance could be the key as the Steelers aim to go one better.
Any new forces to keep an eye on?
Tamil Thalaivas spent big in the auction and could spring a surprise, especially with the unique concept of Udaya Kumar as head coach and Dharamaraj Cheralathan as a strategy coach. In Sachin, they have a do-or-die raid specialist who could do wonders under Cheralathan as raiding responsibilities get shared with Narender. The only worry is the lack of all-rounders apart from new signing Moeen Safaghi and it places undue pressure on the Iranian in his debut PKL season. The Thalaivas have an impressive, balanced starting lineup, and should they be injury-free, could surprise many and walk away with the title.
Bengal Warriorz had the best raiding unit in PKL 10 and the lowest tackle points. They've gone the simple route in solving their problems - retaining Maninder Singh on the attacking side and bringing in Fazel Atrachali in defence. The Iranian is a stellar captain and can guide a youthful defence alongside former UP Yoddhas captain Nitesh Kumar. However, the lack of all-rounders in their squad and few options in depth mean things have to go very right for new coach Prashant Surve to lift the title.
Gujarat Giants signed 15 players at the auction, and under the guidance of PKL stalwart Ram Mehar Singh, Guman Singh will lead their raiding outfit. The squad is a bit youthful, and the likes of all-rounder Mohammad Nabibakhsh will be needed to aid a defence that looks a bit thin on paper. However, should their raft of new signings gel well, this could be an outfit that surprises many.
Are Telugu Titans going to be the league's punching again?
They released Pawan Sehrawat and used the FBM card (Final Bid Match) at the auction to retain him for a lower price, and then added PKL season 8 winning coach, Krishan Kumar Hooda as well as the second-best defender from last season, Krishan Dhull. The Titans were quite active in the auction, with an emphasis on all-rounders and they definitely look on course to avoid a last-place finish for the fourth consecutive season. Should Pawan also receive support in raiding duties, a playoff spot looks likely.
With Telugu Titans likely to compete well this season, it's hard to predict who will struggle this season, especially given the rest of the league has also assembled balanced squads. Even the likes of Dabang Delhi and Patna Pirates weren't too active in the auction but retained most of their squad. Injuries and squad harmony could be key as the fight for the playoff spots might be the tightest we have witnessed, especially with Jaipur Pink Panthers, U Mumba and UP Yodhhas now boasting of very balanced squads.
The Hi-Flying Titan is ready to take off in #PKL11 ✈️��#ProKabaddi #LetsKabaddi #ProKabaddiOnStar pic.twitter.com/B6Mh6ehYD1
- ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) October 16, 2024
All this talk about youth, what about the league's old guard?
Pardeep Narwal is fighting for relevance, and heads to play under the coach who gave him his debut, Randhir Singh Sehrawat with the Bengaluru Bulls. They've also added Ajinkya Pawar and Jai Bhagwan to their raiding lineup, but the team's fortunes all revolve around how the veteran performs. Poor fitness and form saw him have a very middling PKL 10 with the UP Yoddhas, only scoring 122 points. He's claimed to have put in the effort ahead of this season to up his fitness and is aiming for 200 points, but the question marks are ever-present for the veteran.
Pawan Sehrawat cannot stat-pad with raiding points alone anymore, as evidenced by him opting to be listed as an all-rounder in the PKL 11 auction. He can be handy in defence, but if the Telugu Titans are going to achieve anything this season, they'll need their superstar to provide in other aspects of the game as well.
The writing is on the wall for many of the old guard - the league expects more, and as Rahul Chaudhari found out - there's no room for sentiment.
How will PKL 11 be different?
The emphasis on young players with a different level of athleticism and professionalism could see tighter contests than before. The league has also recognised that specialist raiders have had their day and are aiming to emulate Puneri Paltan in having raiders shoulder plenty of the defensive burden as well.
With a league-wide emphasis on defence, and an improvement in general athleticism, we could witness even more impressive feats of ingenuity as raiders fight to score against well drilled defences. It's all set to be a thrilling season of kabaddi.