The Jaipur Pink Panthers are the champions of the inaugural edition and runners-up of Pro Kabaddi League – season 4. Since their brilliant first season campaign, Jaipur’s previous performances have been sub-par (5th in PKL 2, 6th in PKL 3), but they showed their brilliance in the last season.
Pink Panthers went into the PKL 5 auction with no retained player, but managed to buy back their lead raider, Jasvir Singh. They have also included one of the best all-rounders of the game, Manjeet Chhillar after a long-fought bidding war.
The inclusion of former do-or-die expert, Selvamani K, will add an extra dimension to their offence. Their defence will be led by the experienced campaigners, Navneet Gautam and Manjeet Chhillar, while Manoj Dhull and Somvir Shekhar will be the young faces of Jaipur’s defence.
Squad Profile
Transfers
Strength – Experience
Jaipur Pink Panthers have experienced players in every department.
Jasvir, Manjeet and Navneet have led PKL teams in the past seasons. They will have to use their experience to guide their young guns to bring the best in them.
Weaknesses – Lack of Alternatives
While Jaipur’s starting seven has experienced faces, replacements in a 3-month long season will be the main concern for the Pink Panthers.
They have seen injury problems in the past with Jasvir Singh and Navneet Gautam. It will be interesting to see how they are going to deal with this.
Opportunities – Right Defence
While the left side of defence is covered by the experienced Manjeet Chhillar and Navneet Gautam, Jaipur will depend on relatively young and fresh faces on the right side.
Hence, this will give opportunities to Manoj Dhull, Somvir Shekhar, Ravinder and Vignesh to showcase their talent.
Threat – Navneet’s Form
Being one of the most experienced players in Jaipur’s defence, Navneet’s consistency will be important for the Pink Panthers.
Navneet has played 28 PKL matches, but has managed just the solitary High 5. Partly as a result, he has a below-par tackle strike rate of 27.63.
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