PKL Season 12: Puneri Paltan aim to reclaim the title with core and strengthened squad
Puneri Paltan have been one of the most consistent teams in the league, having reached the Playoffs in six out of the 11 editions. However, they finished a disappointing eighth last season with just nine wins in 22 games.
Ahead of Season 12, Puneri Paltan announced former Indian kabaddi captain Ajay Thakur as their head coach. The 39-year-old has been promoted to the role of head coach after he was appointed as their assistant coach in Season 11.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest kabaddi players of all time, Ajay was part of the Indian kabaddi team that won gold medals at the 2014 Asian Games and the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup. He was awarded the Padma Shri and the Arjuna Award in 2019.
Having featured in the first seven editions of the Pro Kabaddi League as a player, Ajay ended his illustrious PKL career with 816 points in 121 matches, including 794 raid points and 22 tackle points.
Meanwhile, Puneri Paltan appointed Ashok Shinde as the head strategist for the upcoming season. He was earlier named their head coach in the middle of last season after BC Ramesh stepped down.
Despite missing out on a Playoffs spot last campaign, Puneri Paltan decided to retain most of their players for the forthcoming season. Additionally, the Season 10 winners added eight new players at the PKL Season 12 Player Auction to assemble a formidable squad for a total amount of INR 5 crore. With that in mind, let's have a closer look at Puneri Paltan's strengths and weaknesses ahead of Pro Kabaddi Season 12.
Strengths
One of Puneri Paltan's undeniable strengths heading into PKL Season 12 is their strong raiding unit. Ahead of PKL Season 12 Player Auction, Puneri Paltan ensured they retained Pankaj Mohite, who was their standout raider last season with 110 raid points in 22 matches. Furthermore, they managed to retain their experienced raider, Mohit Goyat, who contributed 83 raid points in 19 games last season. Puneri Paltan have also retained their captain, Aslam Inamdar, who will once again play a key role in their attack. Earlier, in Season 11, Puneri Paltan lost momentum after their skipper Aslam was ruled out due to a knee injury.
Later, at the Season 12 Player Auction, Puneri Paltan further strengthened their attack by acquiring the services of star raider Sachin Tanwar for INR 1.058 crore. Considered to be one of the top raiders in the league, Sachin has already accumulated 1,034 raid points in 145 matches in his stellar PKL career.
Puneri Paltan have also signed Iranian raiders Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh (INR 13 lacs), Milad Mohajer (INR 13.50 lacs) and Indian raider Stuwart Singh (INR 13 lacs) to reinforce their raiding department.
Weaknesses
While Puneri Paltan's attack looks strong on paper, their defence could be a potential weakness in Pro Kabaddi Season 12. Even though they managed to retain their star right cover Abinesh Nadarajan ahead of PKL Season 12 Player Auction, they failed to sign any backup for Abinesh in the right cover position. Hence, any injury or loss in form for Abinesh could risk their chances of success in the upcoming season.
Apart from Vishal Bhardwaj and Gaurav Khatri, Puneri Paltan lack well-established defenders in their corner positions. Despite racking up 324 tackle points in 118 matches, Vishal will make a return to Pro Kabaddi after he went unsold in the Season 11 Player Auction. It will be interesting to see how Vishal performs after being out of the auction for one full season. As a result, a lot will depend on the right corner, Gaurav Khatri, who was their standout defender last season with 61 tackle points in 21 games.
Opportunities
As far as opportunities are concerned, Puneri Paltan have several talented youngsters who will be aiming to hog the limelight in PKL Season 12. All-rounder Mohd Amaan is one such player who will be looking to grab his opportunities after Puneri Paltan used their Final Bid Match (FBM) card to retain him for two seasons for INR 35 lacs. Playing in the left corner position, Amaan showcased his talent and played 14 matches for Puneri Paltan in Season 11.
On the other hand, Ajay Thakur will have the opportunity to repay Puneri Paltan's faith after being promoted as head coach of the Pune-based team. In his short stint as assistant coach, the former Indian kabaddi star got the best out of Puneri Paltan in the few matches he guided them through last season.
Threats
One of the biggest concerns for Puneri Paltan will be the fitness of their captain, Aslam Inamdar. Star all-rounder Aslam will make a comeback in Pro Kabaddi Season 12 after missing the majority of last season. The 25-year-old played seven games in Season 11 and was later ruled out after he suffered a meniscus tear in his knee, which required a surgical operation. With 480 raid points and 65 tackle points in 70 games, Aslam's numbers are pretty impressive, and hence his fitness will determine how Puneri Paltan's upcoming campaign pans out.
One potential area where Puneri Paltan could perhaps have done better during the Season 12 Player Auction was to sign another quality right cover. The PKL Season 10 champions currently only have Abinesh Nadarajan in the right cover position.
While Vishal Bhardwaj has decent experience in Pro Kabaddi, his performances have dipped over the last few seasons. The likes of Mohd Amaan and Rakesh will need to step in at the left corner position to provide support to the right corner, Gaurav Khatri.
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