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Former Pro Kabaddi League champions Bengaluru Bulls finished third in the PKL 9 standings. The Bengaluru-based franchise shocked fans when they let go of their star raider Pawan Sehrawat ahead of the Pro Kabaddi 2022 auction.
A majority of the kabaddi universe members felt that the Bengaluru Bulls would struggle in PKL 9 after they failed to re-sign Pawan Sehrawat at the auction. However, the Bulls found a new match-winner in Bharat Hooda this season. Hooda won the Best Raider of the Tournament award for his splendid performances throughout the competition.
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Corner defenders Saurabh Nandal and Aman Antil also played a big role in the Bengaluru Bulls' success this season. Overall, it was a memorable campaign for the Randhir Singh-coached outfit. They won 13 out of their 22 league stage matches and then knocked defending champions Dabang Delhi KC out of the competition in Eliminator 1.
Bengaluru Bulls' campaign came to an end in the semi-finals, where the Jaipur Pink Panthers bulldozed them by a big margin. Nevertheless, the Bengaluru franchise owners will be satisfied with the team's performance in Pro Kabaddi 2022.
Now that Pro Kabaddi 2022 is in the history books, here's a look at the two things that went right and one that went wrong for Bengaluru Bulls this season.
#1 Thing that went right - Corner defense
It wouldn't be an understatement to say that the Bengaluru Bulls would not have qualified for the playoffs if Saurabh Nandal and Aman Antil did not perform the way they did in Pro Kabaddi 2022. Both the corner defenders brought their 'A' game to the table this season, ensuring that the Bulls finished in the upper half of the standings.
Many kabaddi fans feel that raiders can help the team win some matches but the defenders can take the team to the next level. That view was proven accurate by Nandal and Antil, who earned a total of 132 tackle points for the Bengaluru Bulls.
Coach Randhir Singh should try to retain the two corner defenders at any cost for the next season.
#2 Thing that went right - Retaining Bharat Hooda
Many fans were confused when Bengaluru released Pawan Sehrawat and retained young Bharat Hooda ahead of the Pro Kabaddi 2022 auction. Hooda had shown glimpses of becoming a top raider but he was nowhere close to Pawan's level last season.
The Bengaluru raider took his performance to the next level in PKL 9 as he ended up scoring 279 raid points in 23 matches. Hooda scored 16 Super 10s for the Bulls and justified the team management's faith in his talent.
#1 Thing that went wrong - The cover positions
Mayur Kadam is one of the top all-rounders in Pro Kabaddi but he could not get going in the right cover position for the Bulls this year. He played 17 matches, earning 16 points for the team.
The management introduced new defender Ponparthiban Subramanian in the right cover position just before the playoffs. He impressed the fans by scoring seven tackle points against Dabang Delhi KC in the Eliminator 1 but committed four tackles in the semi-final.
Even captain Mahender Singh had a forgettable season in the left cover position. Looking at the numbers, one could say that the cover defenders proved to be the Bengaluru Bulls' weakness.
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