PKL 2019: 3 players to look out for from Tamil Thalaivas

The seventh edition of Pro Kabaddi League is all set to commence from the 20th of July, 2019 at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad. Tamil Thalaivas, a fairly new team since they made their debut only in the fifth season of the league, have boasted of players such as Ajay Thakur, Amit Hooda, Sukesh Hegde, Manjeet Chillar and Jasvir Singh in the past.

Despite hosting some big names in the team, the Thalaivas have had underwhelming campaigns so far. Season 5 had way too many young players in the squad as the fresh talent could not stand tall during crunch situations.

For the season 7 auctions, the team management had a clear cut strategy as they did not want to repeat the same mistake. They shelled out a whopping ₹94 lakh for Rahul Chaudhari, who once again found a spot in the list of the 'most expensive' players from the auction.

Having retained Ajay Thakur and Manjeet Chhillar prior the auctions, the Thalaivas also roped in Ran Singh, Mohit Chhillar and Shabeer Bapu, who are all certain to have a massive impact for the side.

With only a little more than a week left for Pro Kabaddi 2019, here is a look at the top three players who can make the campaign successful for the Thalaivas:

---

#3 Ran Singh

Ran Singh (R) was drafted into the squad by the Tamil Thalaivas for ₹55 lakh

Ran Singh has been a part of Pro Kabaddi since the inaugural season. He made his debut for the Jaipur Pink Panthers and played a crucial role in leading the team to the first ever PKL title.

A burly all-rounder, Singh has a wide variety of skill sets, right from powerful blocks to stopping a raider single-handedly with some scintillating holds. Till date, he has gathered a total of 289 points in 99 matches.

He was a part of the Pink Panthers till season 4 before shifting to the Bengal Warriors in the fifth season. For the upcoming PKL 2019, we will see him donning the jersey of Tamil Thalaivas and playing alongside the likes of Manjeet Chhillar and Mohit Chhillar.

#2 Ajay Thakur

Ajay Thakur is the epitome of excellence

Ajay Thakur will be itching to get on to the mat as he is set to lead a star-studded Thalaivas squad for PKL 2019. Thakur is undoubtedly a player worth all the praises he gets and will be looking to repeat his heroics from the past two seasons.

Thakur made a cracking debut in season 1 for the Bengaluru Bulls and then led his team to the finale of season 2 where they suffered an unfortunate loss. A skillful raider, Thakur has notched up a total of 753 points in 102 matches. He joined the Puneri Paltan in the third season of PKL and played a good hand for the Paltan for three seasons.

He has also represented team India on the global level, having led the side to a gold medal at the Kabaddi Masters 2018 in Dubai. Undoubtedly, his experience on the mat will be key for the Thalaivas.

#1 Rahul Chaudhari

Rahul Chaudhari is also known as the 'poster boy' of Pro Kabaddi

The 'poster boy' of Indian kabaddi, Rahul Chaudhari will be featuring for the Tamil Thalaivas in PKL 2019, playing for a team other than the Telugu Titans for the first ever time in PKL history.

Chaudhari made a debut in the first season of PKL for the Telugu Titans and played six seasons for the franchise. However, with him shifting teams, it will be exciting to see him play for the Tamil Thalaivas, alongside Ajay Thakur and Manjeet Chillar.

The first player in the history of PKL to cross the 800-point mark, Chaudhari has earned the nickname 'Raid Machine', owing to his stunning ability to pick points consistently against the best defenders in the league.

The top point scorer of the Pro Kabaddi till date, Chaudhari has accumulated a total of 876 points in just 100 matches, which is no less than a feat. For PKL 2019, one can only hope that Chaudhari re-kindles his lost form.