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Pro Kabaddi 2023 retained players list came out on Monday, August 7. The 12 franchises have retained players whom they wished to continue their association with, while quite a few star players have lost their contracts.
Some players were expectedly released because of their poor performance last season. Meanwhile, a few kabaddi stars have lost their contracts because of their hefty price tags.
You can check out the complete list of retained players for Pro Kabaddi 2023 right here. In this listicle, we will rank the 12 teams based on their players retained.
#12 Bengal Warriors
It is tough to understand Bengal Warriors' planning for Pro Kabaddi 2023 right now. They have retained four players, namely Vaibhav Garje, R Guhan, Suyog Gaikar, and Parshant Kumar.
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Bengal have let go of their captain Maninder Singh, who was their most consistent performer in the last few seasons. Even Shrikant Jadhav and Girish Maruti Ernak have lost their place in the squad despite performing well. Bengal will have to shop well at the auction next month in a bid to win the trophy.
#11 Patna Pirates
Patna Pirates have released their star defender Mohammadreza Chiyaneh ahead of Pro Kabaddi 2023. All-rounder Rohit Gulia, who finished 10th in the Most Raid Points list last season, has returned to the auction pool as well.
Sachin and Neeraj Kumar were the Elite Retained Players of Patna. The team management will form the squad around Sachin and Neeraj at the auction.
#10 Telugu Titans
After finishing last in Pro Kabaddi League's previous season, Telugu Titans have unsurprisingly decided to revamp their squad. They retained only one player in the Elite category - Parvesh Bhainswal.
The Titans have smartly retained Rajnish, Vinay, Mohit and Nitin. They should try to sign some in-form players at the next auction.
#9 Haryana Steelers
Haryana Steelers have released their best raider from the previous season - Manjeet Dahiya. Apart from that, their retentions seem decent on paper, with K. Prapanjan, Vinay, Jaideep, Mohit, Naveen, Monu, Harsh, and Sunny continuing with the team.
The Steelers need a game-changer in the raiding unit. They can even try signing Manjeet again at the auction.
#8 Gujarat Giants
Two-time finalists Gujarat Giants have shown faith in their young raiders Parteek Dahiya and Rakesh for Pro Kabaddi 2023. Manuj, Sonu, and Rohan Singh have also been retained.
The Giants need some experienced names in their defence. They made a big mistake by releasing Sunil Kumar and Parvesh Bhainswal before the 2022 season. The Ahmedabad-based franchise need some talented defenders this year.
#7 Dabang Delhi KC
Former PKL champions Dabang Delhi KC have retained their star raiders, Vijay Malik and Naveen Kumar Goyat. Left cover defender Vishal Lather is a notable absentee on their retained players' list.
Delhi have even retained Manjeet, Ashish Narwal and Suraj Panwar. Like Gujarat Giants, the Dabangs need some experienced defenders.
#6 U Mumba
The champions of the second season, U Mumba, have continued to show faith in young talents. After narrowly missing out on a spot in the playoffs last year, the Mumbai-based franchise will aim to form a stronger squad for Pro Kabaddi 2023.
Surinder Singh, Jai Bhagwan, Rinku, Heiderali Ekrami, Shivam, Shivansh Thakur, Pranay Rane, Rupesh, and Sachin are the players retained by U Mumba. A couple of experienced names in raiding and defensive units can make this team unstoppable.
#5 Tamil Thalaivas
Tamil Thalaivas have not retained Pawan Kumar Sehrawat for Pro Kabaddi 2023. The Hi-Flier played only one match for them in the last season, where he got hurt and was ruled out of the tournament.
While Pawan's name is missing from the list, the Thalaivas have proven match-winners like Narender, Sagar, and Ajinkya Ashok Pawar in the squad. Himanshu, M. Abishek, Sahil, Mohit, Aashish, Himanshu, and Jatin have also been retained.
#4 UP Yoddhas
UP Yoddhas have almost retained their entire first-choice playing seven from the last season. Pardeep Narwal should continue as the team's captain in Pro Kabaddi 2023.
Nitesh Kumar, Sumit and Ashu Singh will head the team's defence, while Surender Gill will support Pardeep in raiding. Anil Kumar and Mahipal will continue to play for UP Yoddhas this year as well.
#3 Bengaluru Bulls
Bengaluru Bulls have retained their core group of Bharat Hooda, Saurabh Nandal, Aman, and Neeraj Narwal. They have freed up a lot of funds by releasing Vikash Khandola from the squad.
Coach Randhir Singh Sehrawat is an excellent talent scout. Fans should back him to pick the top players to fill up the remaining spots in the Bulls squad.
#2 Puneri Paltan
Last season's runner-up Puneri Paltan have retained a lot of players for Pro Kabaddi 2023. Abinesh Nadarajan, Gaurav Khatri, Sanket Sawant, Pankaj Mohite, Aslam Inamdar, Mohit Goyat, Akash Shinde, Badal Singh, and Aditya Shinde are present on the list.
Fazel Atrachali and Mohammad Nabibakhsh are the two biggest absentees from the retained players list. Puneri Paltan will have to look for proper replacements for the Iranian duo.
#1 Strongest squad ahead of Pro Kabaddi 2023 auction - Jaipur Pink Panthers
Defending champions Jaipur Pink Panthers seem to have hit a home run in the first round of the new season. Their retained players list features Sunil Kumar, V Ajith Kumar, Reza Mirbagheri, Bhavani Rajput, Arjun Deshwal, Sahul Kumar, Ankush, Abhishek KS, Ashish, and Devank.
Rahul Chaudhari is missing from the list, but Jaipur Pink Panthers can buy him back at the Pro Kabaddi 2023 auction. With a stable defence and a couple of match-winners present in their raiding unit, Jaipur have a fantastic group of players ahead of the auction.
