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Defending champions Jaipur Pink Panthers will open their Pro Kabaddi 2023 campaign against last edition's runners-up Puneri Paltan in a rematch of PKL 9 final. Jaipur and Pune were the most impressive teams of the last season, and they will aim to continue in the same vein in PKL 10.
Jaipur Pink Panthers decided to retain their core group of players from season nine. Big names like Sunil Kumar, Arjun Deshwal, Ankush Rathee and Rahul Chaudhari will continue playing for the Pink Panthers this season as well.
Meanwhile, Puneri Paltan have retained their young Indian players but released overseas stars Mohammad Nabibakhsh and Fazel Atrachali. To make up for the Iranian duo's absence, Puneri Paltan signed Mohammadreza Shadlu at the Pro Kabaddi 2023 Auction.
The match between Jaipur Pink Panthers and Puneri Paltan promises to be an exciting one. Before the big game gets underway in Ahmedabad, here's a list of three player battles to watch out for during this Pro Kabaddi 2023 contest.
#1 Mohit Goyat vs Ankush Rathee
Mohit Goyat will be one of the main raiders for Puneri Paltan in Monday's match. Goyat has been a game-changer for Pune in recent seasons. He raids from the right side, meaning he will have to take care of left-corner defender Ankush Rathee, who will be ready to tackle him down.
Rathee, who made his Pro Kabaddi League debut for the Jaipur Pink Panthers last season, won the Best Defender award in PKL 9. He stunned the raiders of all teams with his brilliant tackling skills.
This year, all the franchises would have analyzed Rathee's gameplay. Hence, he will have to up his game to keep the likes of Mohit Goyat and Pankaj Mohite out of the contest.
#2 Mohammadreza Shadlu vs Arjun Deshwal
Mohammadreza Shadlu became the most expensive foreign player in Pro Kabaddi League history at this year's auction. Puneri Paltan shelled out ₹2.35 crore to rope in the former Patna Pirates star, who plays in the left corner position.
Shadlu has been phenomenal in his PKL career so far. He also did a splendid job as a raider for Iran in international games earlier this year.
Puneri Paltan have some top-quality raiders in their squad. This is why they may prefer having Shadlu as their left corner and assign him the task of taking Arjun Deshwal out, who was the most successful raider in PKL 9.
#3 Aslam Inamdar vs Sahul Kumar
Puneri Paltan captain Aslam Inamdar will be keen to lead his team from the front in Pro Kabaddi 2023. Inamdar is an all-rounder, but he contributes more in the raiding department. He is a left raider, meaning he will have to take care of left cover Reza Mirbhageri and right corner Sahul Kumar.
Sahul has been a consistent performer for the Jaipur Pink Panthers in the last two seasons. He formed a fantastic corner combination with Ankush Rathee in Pro Kabaddi 2022/23. It will be exciting to see which duo wins the battle between Aslam-Mohit and Ankush-Sahul.
