Latest news with #Thalaivas
India Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- India Today
Tamil Thalaivas aim for a change in fortunes with revamped squad and new coach
After two consecutive seasons of league-stage exits, Tamil Thalaivas will look for a fresh start in a bid for their maiden Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) title in Season 12 starting on August 29. Since making their Pro Kabaddi debut in 2017, the Thalaivas have qualified for the Playoffs only once in Season 9, a dual-coach system involving Udayakumar as head coach and Dharmaraj Cheralathan as strategy coach, the Thalaivas registered eight wins in 22 matches to finish ninth in the Pro Kabaddi League Season 11 standings. Ahead of PKL Season 12, the Thalaivas released both their coaches Udayakumar and Dharmaraj Cheralathan after their underwhelming Season 11 campaign. advertisementPro Kabaddi League season 12: Schedule The Chennai-based team has roped in two-time PKL title-winning coach Sanjeev Baliyan, who previously led Patna Pirates to victory in Season 3 and Jaipur Pink Panthers in Season 9. They also appointed Suresh Kumar as their assistant coach to return to a traditional coaching failing to qualify for the PKL Playoffs last season, the Thalaivas retained most of their core squad prior to the Season 12 Player Auction. They have further signed five new players at the auction to assemble a strong squad for a total amount of INR 4.973 crore. With that said, let's take a closer look at the Thalaivas' strengths and weaknesses ahead of PKL Season Thalaivas will undoubtedly possess one of the strongest raiding units in the upcoming edition of the Pro Kabaddi the PKL Season 12 Player Auction, the Thalaivas strengthened their squad by acquiring the services of Raid Machine, Arjun Deshwal, for a whopping INR 1.405 crore. Considered to be one of the top raiders in the league, the former Jaipur Pink Panthers captain has already accumulated 1,174 raid points in 114 games in his illustrious PKL career. He will bring wealth of experience to the Thalaivas' the Thalaivas signed former Telugu Titans skipper Pawan Sehrawat for INR 59.50 lacs to bolster their raiding department. Nicknamed the 'Hi-Flyer', all-rounder Pawan Sehrawat has amassed 1,318 raid points and 70 tackle points in 139 matches since making his PKL debut in Season Steelers: SWOT Analysis for Season 12The Thalaivas have also retained Moein Shafaghi and Narender Kandola, who were their standout raiders last season. While Iranian all-rounder Moein racked up 103 raid points, Narender contributed with 82 raid points in Season likes of Vishal Chahal (right raider), Dhiraj Ravindra Bailmare, Yogesh Yadav, Abhiraj Manoj Pawar (left raider) and Rohit Kumar Beniwal (left raider) are the other attacking options in the will be interesting to see how the Thalaivas' defence rises to the challenge in PKL Season 12. While they have captain Sagar Rathee, Nitesh Kumar, new recruits Alireza Khalili, Mohit and Suresh Jadhav in the corner positions, one of the biggest weaknesses that the Thalaivas may have to deal with is the lack of top players in their cover Thalaivas have Ronak and Tarun as their right covers, while retaining the likes of Anuj Kaluram Gawade and Aashish in the left cover positions. While they may lack extensive PKL experience, this season will be their chance to prove their mettle. OpportunitiesadvertisementWith an aim to clinch their first-ever PKL trophy, the Thalaivas have appointed Sanjeev Baliyan, one of the most successful head coaches in the league's history, as their new head coach. Sanjeev Baliyan boasts a brilliant coaching record in the PKL, winning titles with Patna Pirates in Season 3 and Jaipur Pink Panthers in Season 9. Under Baliyan's guidance, the Pink Panthers have also qualified for the PKL Playoffs in the previous three seasons before ending his stint after PKL Season 11. He will have the opportunity to script history and guide the Thalaivas to the PKL Season 12 Pawan Sehrawat will be aiming to regain his top form after struggling with injuries in the previous seasons. In Season 11, the veteran all-rounder played 13 matches for Telugu Titans and was later sidelined after succumbing to an unfortunate injury. Earlier, representing the Thalaivas, Pawan suffered a knee injury in PKL 9 season opener against Gujarat Giants in November 2022. He was ruled out of the tournament and had undergone surgery for the same. After rejoining the Thalaivas at the PKL Season 12 Player Auction, Pawan will be hoping to repay their faith with some match-winning performances and an injury free lot of how the Tamil Thalaivas' season unfolds could depend on the form of Nitesh Kumar and captain Sagar Rathee. Right corner Sagar and left corner Nitesh are the experienced defenders in the Thalaivas' setup for the upcoming PKL Season 12. With 77 tackle points in 22 games, Nitesh was their standout defender last season as he finished with the third-most tackle points in Season 11. He will need to continue his brilliant form in the forthcoming season. However, Sagar will be returning after playing just a solitary game in PKL Season 11. The talented right corner missed the majority of last season due to an injury. While Sagar has accumulated 226 tackle points in 71 matches, there will be some injury concerns heading into the new like Sagar, Pawan Sehrawat has suffered multiple injuries that have sidelined him from games in recent seasons, including nine matches last campaign. Any further injury to Pawan in Season 12 could put huge pressure on the likes of Arjun Deshwal and Narender Kandola in the Thalaivas' raiding department. - Ends
Hans India
3 days ago
- Sport
- Hans India
PKL Season 12: Tamil Thalaivas seek revival with revamped squad under new head coach
Chennai: After two consecutive seasons of league-stage exits, Tamil Thalaivas will look for a fresh start in a bid for their maiden Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) title in Season 12, starting on August 29. Since making their Pro Kabaddi debut in 2017, the Thalaivas have qualified for the Playoffs only once in Season 9 (2022). Under a dual-coach system involving Udayakumar as head coach and Dharmaraj Cheralathan as strategy coach, the Thalaivas registered eight wins in 22 matches to finish ninth in the PKL Season 11 standings. Ahead of PKL Season 12, the Thalaivas released both coaches, Udayakumar and Dharmaraj Cheralathan, after their underwhelming Season 11 campaign. The Chennai-based team has roped in two-time PKL title-winning coach Sanjeev Baliyan, who previously led Patna Pirates to victory in Season 3 and Jaipur Pink Panthers in Season 9. They also appointed Suresh Kumar as their assistant coach to return to a traditional coaching structure. Despite failing to qualify for the PKL Playoffs last season, the Thalaivas retained most of their core squad prior to the Season 12 Player Auction. They have further signed five new players at the auction to assemble a strong squad for a total amount of Rs 4.973 crore. With that said, let's take a closer look at the Thalaivas' strengths and weaknesses ahead of PKL Season 12. Tamil Thalaivas will undoubtedly possess one of the strongest raiding units in the upcoming edition of the Pro Kabaddi League. At the PKL Season 12 Player Auction, the Thalaivas strengthened their squad by acquiring the services of Raid Machine, Arjun Deshwal, for a whopping Rs 1.405 crore. Considered to be one of the top raiders in the league, the former Jaipur Pink Panthers captain has already accumulated 1,174 raid points in 114 games in his illustrious PKL career. He will bring wealth of experience to the Thalaivas' setup. Additionally, the Thalaivas signed former Telugu Titans skipper Pawan Sehrawat for Rs 59.50 lakh to bolster their raiding department. Nicknamed the 'Hi-Flyer', all-rounder Sehrawat has amassed 1,318 raid points and 70 tackle points in 139 matches since making his PKL debut in Season 3. The Thalaivas have also retained Moein Shafaghi and Narender Kandola, who were their standout raiders last season. While Iranian all-rounder Moein racked up 103 raid points, Narender contributed with 82 raid points in Season 11. The likes of Vishal Chahal (right raider), Dhiraj Ravindra Bailmare, Yogesh Yadav, Abhiraj Manoj Pawar (left raider) and Rohit Kumar Beniwal (left raider) are the other attacking options in the squad. It will be interesting to see how the Thalaivas' defence rises to the challenge in PKL Season 12. While they have captain Sagar Rathee, Nitesh Kumar, new recruits Alireza Khalili, Mohit and Suresh Jadhav in the corner positions, one of the biggest weaknesses that the Thalaivas may have to deal with is the lack of top players in their cover positions. The Thalaivas have Ronak and Tarun as their right covers, while retaining the likes of Anuj Kaluram Gawade and Aashish in the left cover positions. While they may lack extensive PKL experience, this season will be their chance to prove their mettle. With an aim to clinch their first-ever PKL trophy, the Thalaivas have appointed Sanjeev Baliyan, one of the most successful head coaches in the league's history, as their new head coach. Sanjeev Baliyan boasts a brilliant coaching record in the PKL, winning titles with Patna Pirates in Season 3 and Jaipur Pink Panthers in Season 9. Under Baliyan's guidance, the Pink Panthers have also qualified for the PKL Playoffs in the previous three seasons before ending his stint after PKL Season 11. He will have the opportunity to script history and guide the Thalaivas to the PKL Season 12 glory. Meanwhile, Pawan Sehrawat will be aiming to regain his top form after struggling with injuries in the previous seasons. In Season 11, the veteran all-rounder played 13 matches for Telugu Titans and was later sidelined after succumbing to an unfortunate injury. Earlier, representing the Thalaivas, Pawan suffered a knee injury in PKL 9 season opener against Gujarat Giants in November 2022. He was ruled out of the tournament and had undergone surgery for the same. After rejoining the Thalaivas at the PKL Season 12 Player Auction, Pawan will be hoping to repay their faith with some match-winning performances and an injury-free campaign. A lot of how the Tamil Thalaivas' season unfolds could depend on the form of Nitesh Kumar and captain Sagar Rathee. Right corner Sagar and left corner Nitesh are the experienced defenders in the Thalaivas' setup for the upcoming PKL Season 12. With 77 tackle points in 22 games, Nitesh was their standout defender last season as he finished with the third-most tackle points in Season 11. He will need to continue his brilliant form in the forthcoming season. However, Sagar will be returning after playing just a solitary game in PKL Season 11. The talented right corner missed the majority of last season due to an injury. While Sagar has accumulated 226 tackle points in 71 matches, there will be some injury concerns heading into the new season. Just like Sagar, Pawan Sehrawat has suffered multiple injuries that have sidelined him from games in recent seasons, including nine matches last campaign. Any further injury to Pawan in Season 12 could put huge pressure on the likes of Arjun Deshwal and Narender Kandola in the Thalaivas' raiding department.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Sehrawat named Tamil Thalaivas skipper
Tamil Thalaivas unveiled its jersey and announced Pawan Sehrawat as the captain, for the upcoming twelfth season of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), here on Wednesday. Arjun Deshwal was named the vice-captain. Sehrawat, who was with Thalaivas in the ninth season but was unable to play much due to an injury, said he was 'excited' to play for Thalaivas in front of the home crowd in Chennai this season. Assistant coach Suresh Kumar said that the team was fortunate to get Sehrawat in the auction. 'We needed an experienced star raider who could be the captain as well. There were only a few outstanding raiders in the auction. We were doubtful if we would be able to get Pawan. We got lucky. That too, we got him for an amount which was cheaper than what we had anticipated the winning bid to be, which in turn enabled us to get Arjun as well,' said Suresh Kumar. Talking about the team's preparation, he said: 'Since July 15, we've had a camp at the Ponneri Gymkhana Club. It ends on August 27. Two days after the camp began, we entered and won an All-India tournament in Tuticorin. We wanted to provide exposure to the inexperienced players and get a hang of the squad's capacity. We played without Pawan and Arjun. That win, after having contested against some good teams, boosted the confidence of our squad.'
The Hindu
16-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Tamil Thalaivas appoints Suresh Kumar as assistant coach
: Tamil Thalaivas has announced Suresh Kumar as the team's assistant coach for the twelfth season of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL). Suresh played across four seasons (seasons two to five) in the PKL with reputed franchises like Patna Pirates, Dabang Delhi, and U Mumba. Suresh, who hails from Tamil Nadu, turned to coaching post-retirement, and served as Jaipur Pink Panthers' assistant coach for the last two seasons. 'It's a great pleasure to be a part of Tamil Thalaivas. To be part of the Tamil family, especially when you come from the same land, is truly meaningful. I look forward to giving my best to the team and representing our state with pride,' Suresh was quoted as saying in a press release. 'We are delighted to welcome Suresh. His strong track record in player development and team strategy will be a significant asset to the Thalaivas set-up,' added Thalaivas CEO Shushen Vashishth in the release.
