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PKL Auction 2021 will take place from August 29 to 31. The fate of many kabaddi stars will be decided in the coming days. The 12 franchises will try to fill the vacant spots in their squads for the 2021 edition of the Pro Kabaddi League.
A few days ago, all 12 teams released their respective lists of retained and released players. Some big names have been retained, while quite a few game-changers have returned to the auction pool for PKL Auction 2021.
Which team is looking the strongest before PKL Auction 2021?
On paper, a few teams are looking a little stronger than their rivals at the moment. In this listicle, we will rank the 12 squads after player retentions.
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12. Tamil Thalaivas
Tamil Thalaivas had star players like Rahul Chaudhari, Mohit Chhillar, Ajay Thakur, Manjeet Chhillar and Shabeer Bappu in their squad during the 2019 season. Still, they took the wooden spoon home.
The Chennai-based franchise have released all the big names from their squad. Going into PKL Auction 2021, the Thalaivas only have Sagar, Himanshu and M Abishek in the team.
11. Telugu Titans
Another team that finished in the lower half of the points table in 2019, Telugu Titans, have released their match-winners Siddharth Desai, Vishal Bhardwaj and Abozar Mighani. The current squad has six players - Rakesh Gowda, Ankit Beniwal, Rajnish, Manish, Akash Choudhary and Akash Dattu Arsul.
None of them have played much in the Pro Kabaddi League. The Titans will have to target some impact players at PKL Auction 2021.
10. Puneri Paltan
Puneri Paltan raised a few eyebrows by releasing their skipper PO Surjeet Singh. Along with him, the likes of Nitin Tomar, Manjeet and Girish Maruti Ernak are also back in the auction pool.
The Pune-based franchise currently have Balasaheb Jadhav, Pawan Kumar Kadian, Hadi Tajik, Sanket Sawant and Pankaj Mohite in the squad. Like the Telugu Titans, they need some seasoned campaigners.
9. Patna Pirates
The Patna Pirates grabbed the headlines by releasing their star raider Pardeep Narwal. The 'Record Breaker' of the Pro Kabaddi League is the hottest free agent in the league now.
Patna have retained Neeraj Kumar, Monu, Mohit, Rajveersinh Chavan and Sahil Mann before the auction. It will be interesting to see if the Pirates sign Pardeep again.
8. Haryana Steelers
The Haryana Steelers have retained three raiders and one defender ahead of PKL Auction 2021. They are placed a little higher on this list because they have kept the services of Vikash Kandola and Vinay.
Retaining Dhramaraj Cheralathan could have been a wise move because of his experience and leadership skills. However, the Steelers have seemingly hinted that they will invest in youth this year.
7. UP Yoddha
Rishank Devadiga and Monu Goyat have not been retained by UP Yoddha for PKL 2021. The team has only one raider - Surinder Gill - right now in the squad.
UP Yoddha are seventh on this list because of Nitesh Kumar and Sumit. The two defenders performed exceptionally well in the previous season. The Uttar Pradesh-based franchise need to strengthen their raiding unit at PKL Auction 2021.
6. Jaipur Pink Panthers
Jaipur Pink Panthers decided against retaining their previous season's captain Deepak Niwas Hooda before PKL Auction 2021. But the inaugural champions kept ace defender Amit Hooda in the team. Promising all-rounder Nitin Rawal will continue playing for the Rajasthan-based franchise as well.
Some exciting names like Sachin Narwal, Pavan TR, Sushil Gulia and Elavarsan A in the Existing New Young Players category have given Jaipur the sixth position on this list.
5. Dabang Delhi KC
PKL 2019 runners-up Dabang Delhi KC are above the Jaipur Pink Panthers because they have retained their star raider Naveen Kumar. Even all-rounder Vijay has received another contract from the Delhi-based franchise.
Neeraj Narwal, Balram, Sumit and Mohit are the other players retained by Delhi. The PKL 2019 finalists have let go of experienced defenders Joginder Narwal and Ravinder Pahal ahead of PKL Auction 2021. Even all-rounder Meraj Sheykh has been released. Retaining either one of the three players could have given Dabang Delhi KC a captaincy option.
4. Bengaluru Bulls
Former PKL champions Bengaluru Bulls retained the duo of Pawan Sehrawat and Amit Sheoran in the Elite Retained Players category. They have also kept Saurabh Nandal, Banty and Mohit Sehrawat in the team.
Looking at Pawan's consistent performances in previous seasons, Bengaluru's raid attack seems stronger than other teams before PKL Auction 2021. The Bulls will try to bolster their defense by signing some experienced names.
3. Gujarat Giants
The Gujarat Giants have done an excellent job by retaining their tried and tested cover duo of Parvesh Bhainswal and Sunil Kumar. Sachin Tanwar and Rohit Gulia are no longer with the team.
The Giants have kept Harmanjeet Singh, Sumit and Ankit in the Existing New Young Players category. The Ahmedabad-based franchise will try to sign a reliable raider at PKL Auction 2021.
2. U Mumba
Former PKL winners U Mumba have retained their faith in Iranian defender Fazel Atrachali. While they have released all-rounder Sandeep Narwal, the Mumbai-based franchise have the likes of Abhishek Singh, Harendra Kumar and Ajinkya Rohidas Kapre in the squad.
The Mumbai-based franchise is one of the few teams to have a reliable name in both attack and defense ahead of PKL Auction 2021. It will be exciting to see which new names join U Mumba.
1. Bengal Warriors look the strongest ahead of PKL Auction 2021
Defending champions of the Pro Kabaddi League have retained big names in all three departments. Maninder Singh will continue to lead the attack, while Mohammad Nabibakhsh and Rinku Narwal will be present in the all-rounders and defenders' section.
All three players were in great touch during the previous season. The Kolkata-based franchise have let go of Baldev Singh and Jeeva Kumar, but they can buy them back at PKL Auction 2021 using the FBM card.
