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After a long wait, the sixth season of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) is here. For the next three months, the pan-Indian league is all set to take the country by storm.
The PKL has absolutely reinvented the sport of kabaddi. It has given a platform to many players to showcase their skills and has brought masses to the game. And that is the reason why the league has become so popular ever since its inception.
The sixth season will see 12 teams vying for the trophy. The Patna Pirates have so far remained the team to beat.
Coached by Ram Mehar Singh, the Patna-based franchise has etched its name in record books as the first team to win three titles. The Pirates deserve every bit of adulation that they have got for their tremendous performances and consistency for the last few seasons.
But now the challenge is a new one. As the Pirates begin their title defence against the Tamil Thalaivas in Chennai on Sunday, we take a look at the five factors that might help them to lay their hands on the trophy for a record fourth time:
#1 Presence of Pardeep Narwal
When it comes to raiding, there’s no one quite like Pardeep Narwal. And that is the reason why, he deserves a separate mention.
He is one of the most shy and unassuming people off the court, but put him on the kabaddi mat and he will breathe fire! Right from his debut season, the ‘Dubki King’ dazzled, which made him the highest point scorer then.
Since then, he has continued the trend, breaking a flurry of records and earning the respect and admiration of both fans and opponents alike. In 2018, he became the first man to record 300 points in a single season.
No team has been able to consistently keep him out of the mat for a long time. Even though he has not been able to perform according to the expectations for the national side of late, a return to the pan-Indian league might just help him find the spark.
#2 Bringing in Deepak Narwal to support Pardeep
While we rave about how spectacular Pardeep has been, the 21-year-old will indeed need some support from the rest of the members of his raiding unit. Last season Monu Goyat rose to the challenge and played the perfect No. 2 raider for the Pirates, which ensured that the Patna franchise did not have to worry even Pardeep was out of the mat.
This season, however, the Pirates failed to acquire the services of Goyat. That is where Deepak Narwal comes in.
Deepak has been with the Pirates earlier. In fact, he registered the maximum raid points for the green-and-yellow brigade in Season 2 on his debut. And that could inspire him to deliver the goods for his former team once again.
There has never been any doubt about his talent. His spirited 11-point raid against none other than the Pirates last season, when he donned the Bengal Warriors jersey, is a great example of what he is capable of. And he can definitely repeat his heroics, this time for the Pirates.
#3 Experience of winning three titles
Experience of winning a title can help a team a long way in producing the best under pressure. They are the only side to win the league three times, and that valuable experience should come in handy, should the going get tough.
For example, the Pirates lacked their usual sharpness in the zonal matches last season and struggled against the PKL debutants, Gujarat Fortune Giants. They did not look certain of successfully defending their title.
But champions know when to raise their level, and that is exactly what they did. In the play-offs, Patna completely elevated their level, which led to their 55-38 thumping win over their nemesis Fortune Giants in the final.
#4 Having Ram Mehar Singh at the helm
With an illustrious resume, Ram Mehar Singh remains one of India’s most decorated kabaddi exponents. He has been a part of the Asian Games gold medal-winning Indian team in 1998 and 2002 and was even conferred with the Arjuna Award.
A master tactician, he is known to chalk out strategies that help to bring out the very best from his players under pressure, as evidenced by his stint with Patna last season.
Besides, Singh would be eager to forget India’s Asian Games kabaddi debacle. For the first time, India finished the tournament without a gold medal and the national coach had to endure the pain of seeing his boys fail on the mat.
Singh must be looking forward to pushing it behind him and plunging headlong into the PKL to help a team with which he has already earned success.
#5 Retaining Jaideep in defence
Retaining Jaideep in defence was one of the best decisions taken by the franchise ahead of Season 6. The left corner defender made the most of his debut last season and turned out to be the best defender for the Pirates.
He amassed 71 tackle points in 26 matches and scored a High 5 five times. That helped him to finish tied with the Telugu Titans' Vishal Bhardwaj for the third position in the most number of tackle points scored. The tried-and-tested Jaideep will surely bring the goods to the team this season too.
He is expected to be ably supported by Manish and Vikas Kale. Defensive all-rounders like Kuldeep Singh could chip in and do his bit.
