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Patna Pirates are the most successful franchise in Pro Kabaddi League history. The Patna-based team has won the championship three times. They completed a hat-trick of title wins from Seasons 3 to 5, but after that, they have not won a single championship.
The Pirates came close to winning the championship in Season 8, where they lost to Dabang Delhi KC in the final by just one point. Fans had high hopes from Patna last season, but they finished 10th in the standings.
This year, they have released their star defender Mohammadreza Shadlu and invested their funds in other talents. Overall, Patna Pirates have a decent squad on paper for Pro Kabaddi 2023, and here are three reasons why they can end up lifting the PKL title soon.
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#1 Patna Pirates have a fiery raiding trio
Patna retained their star raider Sachin Tanwar ahead of the PKL 10 Auction. Tanwar has been a consistent performer in the league ever since he debuted for the Gujarat Giants in Season 5. He also turned up for India at the Asian Games earlier this year.
Sachin lacked proper support last season. To fix that problem, the Pirates signed Rakesh Narwal and Manjeet Dahiya at the auction. Dahiya was the lead raider of the Haryana Steelers last season. The tall raider earned 163 points in 22 matches.
Meanwhile, Rakesh Narwal can be the tertiary raider of the team. Narwal was with the Steelers as well last season. He scored 50 points for the team in 15 games. If this trio get going, it will be quite difficult for the opposition defenders to stop the Pirates in Pro Kabaddi League 2023/24.
#2 Patna Pirates' cover defenders have played a lot together
Most of the PKL franchises opted to form a new combination in the defense this season. However, the Patna Pirates have continued to show faith in Neeraj Kumar and Sajin Chandrashekar, who have played a lot of games together as cover defenders.
With a tried-and-tested cover defense pair present in the squad, Patna's defense should be on fire right from the word 'go'. Although Kumar and Chandrashekhar did not have the best seasons of their PKL careers in 2022/23, the Pirates have backed him. This backing will motivate the two cover defenders to work even harder and bring their 'A' game to the table for the franchise.
#3 Presence of 'X-factor' player Ankit Jaglan
It is rare to see any player from Category D earning a contract worth more than ₹30 lakh in the Pro Kabaddi League. However, all-rounder Ankit Jaglan ignited a bidding war between the teams at the auction before earning a massive deal worth ₹31.5 lakh from the Patna Pirates.
Jaglan plays in the left corner position and can contribute in the raiding department as well. Considering that the opposition teams do not have an idea of Jaglan's skills, he can prove to be an 'X-factor' player for the three-time champions. If he emerges as a star like Mohammadreza Shadlu, the Patna Pirates will be the favorites to win PKL 10.
