Pro Kabaddi 2017 Season 5: 5 reasons why Puneri Paltan can win their maiden title

India is all set to witness yet another action-packed season of the Pro Kabaddi League which shall commence later this month on the 28th of July.However, the PKL, this time around will be one notch above its previous editions given the addition of four new teams in the likes of UP Yoddhas, Tamil Thalaivas, Haryana Steelers and Fortune Giants Gujarat.As such the season will span across 10 states across India with 12 teams taking the battle across to one-another for a good, extended period of three months, starting on the 28th of July.One of the teams in the fray is Puneri Paltan, owned by Insurekot Sports Pvt. Ltd. and their journey in the league so far has been one with mixed fortunes of sorts.The first two seasons of Pro Kabaddi were particularly disappointing for the franchise with successive bottom of the table finishes.Prior to the third instalment, the think tank revamped the squad by bringing in the likes of Ajay Thakur, Deepak Hooda and Manjeet Chhillar who propelled them to a third place finish.The fourth season saw a pretty much similar run for the team as they failed to make it to the finals but nonetheless secured a respectable third position on the points tally yet again.With the fifth season round the corner, the Pune team looks to go out all guns blazing and play with a renewed sense of energy and vigour in order to claim the all-important trophy.Sportskeeda looks at five reasons which will steer the Puneri Paltan to their maiden Pro Kabaddi title.#1: Retaining Deepak Niwas HoodaThe young gun is one of the brightest prospects and is rightly termed as the successor to Manjeet Chhillar given his all-round abilities. He was in stellar form for the last couple of seasons and the franchise showcased faith in him by retaining his services ahead of the player auctions that were held in May.A swift raider, with his running hand touches and an equally able defender with his timely tackles, Deepak will be the key to Pune's success, as is evident by his numbers, 391 points from 57 matches played so far in the tournament.Moreover, he has also been named as the captain of the side for the upcoming season and will look to marshal his troops effectively, and not just lead by mere example.This philosophy was echoed when Deepak was quoted as saying in an earlier interview that, &quot;Earlier I was an aggressive player and used to play for myself. However now, I have to look after the whole team. It’s definitely challenging but I am up for it. I have become more responsible as the team depends on me.&quot;

Pro Kabaddi 2017 Season 5: 5 reasons why Puneri Paltan can win their maiden title

#4: The exuberance of youth