Pro Kabaddi League Season 6: Predicting Jaipur Pink Panthers' starting seven for the initial matches

The franchise based in Jaipur, the Jaipur Pink Panthers is a renowned team of the Pro Kabaddi League. Season 1 champions, Jaipur Pink Panthers are owned by Mr Abhishek Bachchan. The team is known to have a rivalry mindset with the other remaining teams and show breathtaking competency on the Kabaddi mat.

Jaipur Pink Panthers after their triumphant run in the inaugural season beating U Mumba in the final (35-24), have lost their form and have failed immensely since then. They were the runners-up of Season 4, with Patna Pirates beating them for their 2nd title.

Jaipur Pink Panthers has the winning percentage of 47.56% as they have won 39 matches out of 82. The Pink Panthers are the 2nd highest team in most super tackles in Pro Kabaddi history (73 times).

In Season 5, they built a consistent team and signed big match all-rounder Manjeet Chhillar for ₹75.5 lakhs and had huge expectations from the squad whose corner defence was considered weak.

However, the fear turned true as nobody except Manjeet Chhillar stood in the defensive line-up. Manjeet could only play 15 matches and scored 47 tackle points as he sustained an injury versus Bengaluru Bulls on his leg.

Their strategy of sending Jasvir Singh into the do or die raids costed the Pink Panthers heavily as Jasvir couldn't even take bonus points or execute scorpion kicks to score points. Their standout raider was Pawan Kadian who got 122 raid points and led from the front.

Somvir Shekhar had a season to forget with no contributions from him at all. Nitin Rawal was an outstanding find for the team who took raid points in crucial times. All in all, the team won only 8 out of the 22 matches and failed to qualify for the playoffs.

Jaipur Pink Panthers was one out of three teams to have no retentions ahead of the Season 6 auctions. In the dying stages ahead of the auctions, Nitin Rawal, Ajit Singh, and Lokesh Kaushik were the NYP retentions.

For Season 6, Jaipur Pink Panthers have signed 18 players for the upcoming 6th season of Pro Kabaddi. Ajinkya Pawar (raider) got added to the squad after the auctions. Deepak Niwas Hooda is their expensive signing at ₹1.15 crores. Balwan Singh got replaced by L. Srinivas Reddy as Head Coach and Ravi Shetty as the Assistant Coach.

Here's the predicted playing 7 of Jaipur Pink Panthers in the initial part of the tournament:

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Right Corner: Mohit Chhillar

Mohit Chhillar is the fourth best defender in Pro Kabaddi history.

One of the most successful right corners Kabaddi has to offer, Mohit Chhillar is a veteran in the Pro Kabaddi League. This Railways' player is the best when it comes to chain tackles coordinating with the player of right in to block the raider's path.

His frontal blocks are a treat to the eyes. Mohit Chhillar has 209 tackle points in 77 matches with an average of 2.71 tackle points. Mohit's addition to the team brings immense strength to the lineup due to his phenomenal defending.

His dominant run in the Dubai Kabaddi Masters and Asiad 2018 depicts why he has absolute efficiency in the sport.

Right In: Anup Kumar

Anup Kumar is the most successful captain in Pro Kabaddi with U Mumba's winning percentage of 64.63%

There were many speculations around the Kabaddi world if Anup should have retired last season and he isn't the same player that he used to be. He proved everybody wrong with his outstanding comeback in the Senior Nationals 2017-18 with Haryana.

In Season 5, Anup Kumar got 112 raid points in 21 matches just 2 points short of team's star raider Kashiling Adake at 114 raid points. He has the guts to outshine everybody with his class.

Known for his bonus taking ability which nicknamed him 'Bonus Ka Badshah' Anup Kumar has the precise toe touch. He ranks 6th in the most raid points in Pro Kabaddi with 489 raid points in 78 matches averaging 6.27 raid points.

Also, Anup has the most defence points as a raider in Pro Kabaddi (57). He'll lead the side with his calm and composed captaincy to win matches with a steady flow.

Right Cover: Bajirao Hodage

Bajirao Hodage with an attempt of blocking the raider.

There was a time when Bajirao Hodage was known to be the best back hold specialist in Pro Kabaddi. Still, Bajirao has the perfect ability to grab a raider by its back and pull him mid-air.

Bajirao has extraordinary strength in his arsenal. Having played for Bengal Warriors, Patna Pirates, and Dabang Delhi K.C., Bajirao's best performance came in Season 3 when he was a part of PKL 3 winning team and scored 37 tackle points in 16 matches.

Bajirao brings raw strength to the mat. With 94 tackle points in 55 matches, he'll add to the defence and will provide immense support as a right cover.

Center: Deepak Niwas Hooda

Deepak Niwas Hooda has the third highest points in the total points tally.

Perhaps the fittest campaigner of the game, Deepak Hooda is Jaipur's most expensive buy at ₹1.15 crores. A star all-rounder in the lineup, Deepak Niwas Hooda is an experienced veteran in Kabaddi.

Deepak has the third highest raid points in Pro Kabaddi with 577 raid points in 81 matches averaging 7.123 raid points. He has 63 tackle points as well.

The team management will look to use his raiding abilities more than his role in the left cover. Deepak has lengthy stretches and has good backtracking ability as a raider.

Back in Season 5, Deepak had the highest do or die raid points with 47 out of the 186 raid points last season. Deepak's versatility is an immense plus point to the team which could bring them their 2nd trophy.

Left Cover: Nitin Rawal

Nitin Rawal was the 3rd best all-rounder in Season 5.

Nitin Rawal had a phenomenal outing in his debut with the Pink Panthers in Season 5 scoring 65 raid points and 20 tackle points for them. Nitin plays left corner, however, this time he'll play as a do or die raider and could play left cover for the team.

Nitin improvises in lengthy stretches, dubki as well as escaping abilities. As a defender, Nitin provides timely support to the other corner and is a diving hold specialist.

Nitin Rawal could be in consideration as a left cover latter onwards because of the team's lack of a consistent left cover. If Young Chang Ko isn't able to provide good defending, Nitin would be a pick. If Young plays the left cover, Jaipur falls a raider short in their starting 7.

Deepak will play as a lead raider and Sunil Sidhgavali will likely be a right cover substitution. All in all, the team will have huge expectations from Nitin Rawal as a complete all-rounder.

Left In: Selvamani K

Selvamani couldn't perform due to his injury in Season 5.

This lanky raider with a height of 186 cms is a young and talented do or die specialist. He is a specialist in taking bonus points and running hand touches with his long legs.

Selvamani was the FBM pick of the Pink Panthers. He can shuffle in a sequence in the opposition's court. Selvamani couldn't perform for the Pink Panthers last season because of his knee injury.

He has 101 raid points in 34 matches. An exciting raider to watch out for, seeing Selvamani in the do or die raids can be fruitful to the Panthers.

Left Corner: Sandeep Dhull

Sandeep Dhull had the most super tackles in Season 3.

Sandeep Dhull was a young emerging star in the Pro Kabaddi during Season 3. He was the top defender in most super tackles in Season 3 (6) and averaged 3.2 tackle points in his debut.

Dhull is a phenomenal defender who has the fast reflexes by anyone on the Kabaddi mat. He can execute any moves whether it be ankle hold or a dive from the left corner position.

He has 67 tackle points in 22 matches and has played for Dabang Delhi K.C. and Telegu Titans. Sandeep's addition to the team will be exciting extravaganza on the Kabaddi mat which will be must-see.