The Telugu Titans have been the underachievers of the Pro Kabaddi League. Over the years, the franchise has acquired the services of some of the best kabaddi players of all time, but they have never qualified for the final of the tournament.
The Titans finished in the Top 4 twice in the first four seasons but lost in the semifinals on both occasions. Ever since the Pro Kabaddi League became a 12-team competition, the Telugu Titans have never qualified for the second round.
They broke the bank to sign Siddharth Desai at PKL Auction 2019. However, Desai could not perform at his best in the initial matches, and the other players failed to support him as well. As a result, the Telugu Titans finished 11th in the points table, with only 6 victories in 22 matches.
Although the team failed to get going in the previous Pro Kabaddi League season, they have a massive chance of winning the PKL championship this year. The following three reasons explain why the Telugu Titans are one of the favorites to end PKL 8 as the champions.
#1 Seasoned campaigner Rohit Kumar will lead Telugu Titans in Pro Kabaddi 2021
Former Bengaluru Bulls captain Rohit Kumar joined the Telugu Titans at the Pro Kabaddi 2021 Auction. The Telugu Titans signed him for ₹36 lakhs and appointed him as the team's new captain.
Kumar has a ton of PKL experience under his belt. Although the frog jump specialist could not score points consistently last season, he is expected to return to form in Pro Kabaddi 2021.
So far in his PKL career, Rohit has earned 711 points from 91 matches. In a game against UP Yoddha during the fifth season, Rohit became the first player to score more than 30 points in one PKL match.
Bengaluru Bulls won the Pro Kabaddi League under his leadership, and it should not be a surprise if his captaincy and raiding skills take the Telugu Titans to the top.
#2 Siddharth Desai's ability to score raid points at will
Siddharth Desai was released by the Telugu Titans ahead of PKL Auction 2021, but the franchise re-signed him for ₹1.3 crores at the auction. Desai has played only two PKL seasons so far, where he has scored 441 points, including 22 Super 10s.
Desai has proven that he can score raid points at will for his team. With Rohit Kumar present to support him, the Telugu Titans have one of the best raiding duos in Pro Kabaddi 2021.
#3 Fearless defenders
Telugu Titans signed former U Mumba defender Surinder Singh at PKL Auction 2021. Surinder will play alongside the likes of Ruturaj Koravi, Sandeep Kandola, Adarsh T, and C. Arun in the Telugu Titans defense.
The Titans have assembled a lineup of fearless defenders. This factor can work in favor of or against the Titans depending on how the players perform. If they score tackle points consistently, the Telugu Titans will be unbeatable in Pro Kabaddi 2021. However, if they fail to get going, the Titans could end PKL 2021 as the team that conceded the most raid points.
It will be interesting to see how far the Telugu Titans reach in the 2021 edition of the Pro Kabaddi League.