Pro Kabaddi 2017, Season 5: Calm to aggressive, the predicted team captains for the new season

Pro Kabaddi Season 5 has all the makings of a cracker. 12 teams slugging it out over the course of three months, fly-by-night success will in no way guarantee the trophy. Persistent and consistent performances will be key for any team with title ambitions.

As a result, having an able leader will occupy paramount importance in every single team’s repertoire. A captain who can steer the ship with self-reliance, during the good times and the bad. We look at 12 leaders who will possibly captain their respective teams this season.

U Mumba

All bets are officially off for anyone who successfully predicts U Mumba’s captain. Anup Kumar will lead the Maharashtra outfit for the fifth consecutive season. By far, the coolest captain in the league will surely have a trick or two up his sleeve in Mumbai’s pursuit for their second title.

Whether his team is up by 10 points or down, Anup’s expression is the same. This trait makes him an ideal and dependable leader.

Uttar Pradesh

Debutants from the most populated country subdivision in the world, the captain of Uttar Pradesh will be carrying the expectations of over 200 million people on his shoulders. So, the team ought to make sure, the shoulders they select are secure enough. Veteran defender, Jeeva Kumar will in all probability lead the outfit.

The 36-year-old would have learnt quite a bit about managing egos, when he was under the tutelage of Anup Kumar at U Mumba. In Nitin Tomar and Rishank Devadiga, he will have two star players at his disposal and will look to bring out the best of them.

Jaipur Pink Panthers

On paper, it may seem as if Abhishek Bachchan has a problem to deal with. A good problem, nonetheless. In Manjeet Chhillar and Jasvir Singh, the Panther’s possess over 30 years of match experience and two outspoken captains.

But the fact that Jasvir Singh has been part of the Panthers since day 1 could well give him the edge over Chhillar, who ably led Pune last season. This one could well be decided by the roll of the dice but Jasvir will still be the favourite to lead the team.

Will Meraj Sheykh be handed the Delhi armband?

Dabang Delhi

The capital side have been dismal over the past two seasons and a large part of their failures on the mat, can be attributed to the absence of an able leader. Ravinder Pahal and Kashiling Adake are no doubt supremely talented players but captaining the side had a negative impact on their individual performances.

Iranian import, Meraj Sheykh impressed in the little time he was handed captaincy responsibilities. But the introduction of experienced campaigner and former Bengal captain, Nilesh Shinde in the squad will ensure Sheykh can solely focus on helping the team as an all-rounder.

Haryana Steelers

Will someone raise their hand up? The Haryana Steelers are littered with a wide array of talent. But the absence of a calm and clever leader is something that could prove to be their undoing. The player who eventually takes up the mantle could well be raider, Wazir Singh, former captain at Pune in season 2.

Singh is in no way a seasoned captain, but the choices are few and far between. Former U Mumba man, Surender Nada could stake his claim too but Singh’s minimal yet relevant past experience as a leader should give him the edge.

Bengaluru Bulls

Looking back, it seems evident. Teams at the auction pursued talent over leadership. The Bulls are another side with no clear-cut captain on paper. Star raider, Rohit Kumar will be keen to prove his worth after a controversial summer during which he flooded the papers for all the wrong reasons.

As cliched as it may sound, leaders lead by example and in Kumar, the Bulls have a player whose actions on the mat will pave the way for his teammates to perform at their peak.

Dharmaraj Cheralathan (right) led Patna to the title in Season 4

Telugu Titans

The side from Hyderabad have signed veteran Rakesh Kumar for season 5, who is a former vice captain at U Mumba. Mind you, the Titans have never managed to win the title. The exuberant side have come close on a couple of occasions but experience eluded them at the business end of the season.

For the first time since the league’s inception, Rahul Chaudhari may have to take off his armband and hand it over to Rakesh Kumar. It may seem like a difficult decision to make but a necessary one.

Puneri Paltan

When Manjeet Chhillar left for Jaipur, the void left by him was immense. He was considered their irreplaceable captain and marshalled his troops will military precision. But Pune’s faithful needn’t fret.

In Dharmaraj Cheralathan, the Paltan have the most experienced Kabaddi player in the league. Thrust into captaincy as soon as he was transferred, he led the Patna Pirates to their second consecutive title last time around. Leading this aggressive Pune side is something which the 42-year-old will relish.

Patna Pirates

The Pirates may well be contemplating following the Telugu Titans model by assigning the captaincy to the best player in the team – Pardeep Narwal. But that’s a risky move considering title success eluded the Titans. 31-year-old defender Vishal Mane looks most likely to lead this side.

Having never led his former teams, it will be interesting to see Mane coming out of his shell and guide his troops. Knowing his personality, there’s no doubt that he would love to take up the challenge of defending the title for the third time in a row.

Ajay Thakur will lead Tamil Nadu in all probability

Gujarat

India’s prime minister and leader hails from Gujarat but their Kabaddi side could well have a foreign import captaining the side. Fazel Atrachali may not know the language but it has never stopped him from being the beastly defender that he is.

Razor sharp focus and intimidating, the Iranian will seamlessly fit into the role of a captain. Communication will no doubt be a challenge but Atrachali will not look out of place, one bit, as the leader of this team.

Tamil Nadu

Arguably the wisest move at the auction, Tamil Nadu picked up Ajay Thakur as their priority pick. A decision that could carry them far in the tournament. Never fazed by pressure, Thakur will in all probability lead the southern based outfit.

Although, Anup Kumar captained the World Cup winning Indian team, it was Thakur who single-handedly guided them over the line, performing in every single match. Aged 31, experience is something he has loads of.

Bengal Warriors

The Bengal Warriors have the most famous Kabaddi player in the league at their disposal - Jang-Kun Lee. A crowd puller at every single venue, retaining him was not only great tactical move, it was also a clever marketing move. But Lee isn’t captain material.

A man who’s been under the radar for a long time could well captain the Warriors this season - Ran Singh. The 30-year-old has always put in above average performance for the Panthers and will be itching to prove his worth as a captain, having worked under veteran, Jasvir Singh before.

Edited by Staff Editor