Pro Kabaddi League 2017 Season 5: Five teams with the weakest attacks

Ahead of the much-anticipated fifth edition of the Pro Kabaddi League, 400 players were up for grabs at the auctions held in the month of May and over 230 plus were drafted into the 12 teams. One would then expect all the owners to build a strong squad, well-balanced in both departments, attack and defence.

But there comes the down side; not all the teams managed to do so with some vulnerabilities in their think tank, and thus we had a host of them who have a very capable defensive wall but lack the edge when it comes to attacking. We at five teams with the weakest attack prior to the upcoming season.

#5 Tamil Thalaiva

Well, they can boast of having the best raider from the World Cup, Ajay Thakur in their ranks, and the man sure lights up the kabaddi mat with his talent, given his 316 raid points off just 58 matches. But what if this star raider fails to fire, as had been the case in a couple of previous editions, particularly Season 4.

There is a hint of over-reliance on Thakur, with not a single other category A raider to support him in the attack. Moreover, there is a lot of untested local talent in the team who will not be able to bring much to the table when competing against the stronger attacks.

#4 Dabang Delhi

Meraj Sheykh will have dual responsibility, both as a raider and defender for Delhi

Dabang Delhi have a host of raiders in their squad but there is some or the other aspect of concern attached to each one of them. Leading the charge will be Meraj Sheykh, but whether or not he’ll able to showcase his prowess in both raiding and defence remains to be seen.

Ravi Dalal started off his career in PKL on a high note bagging 111 points in the inaugural season but since then, he has faded away with just 13 points to his name in the last edition.

Rohit Baliyan is another prospect who will have to rise up to the challenge if given an opportunity and prove his individual worth, and expensive recruit Suraj Desai, who made heads turns with his 52.50 lakh price tag, is already out with a major injury.

#3 Fortune Giants Gujarat

Sukesh will not only be the lead raider but also captain the Gujarat side

One of the four new teams to enter the kabaddi fold, the Gujarat franchise also finds itself in an inferior position when it comes to the raiding department. They have named Sukesh Hegde as their captain for the upcoming season who will also play in the capacity of a lead raider, and for someone who has not captained the side before this, the pressure might not allow him to play his natural game.

In such a scenario, the other raider they can rely on is Mahendra Rajput, who has shown glimpses of his talent in the past but has not really been consistent in the attack. Thus, the team may find it difficult to cross the line against rival defensive walls.

#2 Bengaluru Bulls

Rohit Kumar and Ajay lack support in the attack at Bengaluru Bulls

Bengaluru Bulls have a capable duo in the likes of Rohit Kumar and Ajay who will play as right and left raiders respectively but other than these two, there seems to be a dearth of raiding presence in the Southern franchise.

If even of these category A players fail to shoulder the attacking responsibility or succumb to injury midway through the season, the team will find itself in deep trouble from where it’ll be difficult to make a comeback.

The mantle will then rest upon relatively average players like Gurvinder Singh and Sunil Jaipal to rise up to the occasion, which will be an uphill task against quality defensive sides.

#1 Patna Pirates

Patna Pirates will have a tough time in the raiding department if Pardeep Narwal is off colour

It would be surprising to most followers of the sport to see this team come under the weakest attack but what if their poster boy Pardeep Narwal, who has led the team to two successive titles, fails to perform equally well this time around?

The Patna team does not boast of any other top raider to replace the talismanic young gun, and the only one who comes close enough is Monu Goyat, but then again, whether he can lead the charge all by himself remains to be seen.

Thus, Patna, despite having a strong defensive line-up, will have to buckle up in the case of a worst case scenario where Pardeep Narwal does not find himself in the same form of previous editions.