Pro Kabaddi League 2017 Season 5: 5 Telugu Titans players who can light up the PKL 

It will be a little unfair to compare Telugu Titans' last season with Indian cricket team's performance at the World T20 2016, a tournament held few months before the fourth season of Kabaddi carnival kicked off. The similarities in the two campaigns, though, are hard to miss.

Just like the Indian team rode on the back of a superlative effort from Virat Kohli to reach the semi finals, the Telugu Titans made good use of Rahul Chaudhari's unbelievable purple patch to ram into the semis, finishing only behind the eventual winners Patna Pirates in the points table in the group stage.

Both the campaigns came to a screeching halt as both the sides began their semi final fixtures as favourites, only to lose to a team known for punching above its weight.

The non-performers of the semis, it seems, have been meted out due punishment by the management as only Rahul Chaudhari was retained and Nilesh Salunke and Vinoth Kumar were among the few names from the old team that were bought back in the auctions.

By bringing in the epitome of composure Rakesh Kumar in raiding department and 'masked man' Rohit Rana in the defence department, the team has made some of the best buys and there is little doubt that if the core of the team formed by Chaudhari, Kumar and Rana can deliver, the team can improve upon its last season's semis showing.

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#1 Rakesh Kumar

With Anup Kumar by his side, Rakesh Kumar was too hot to handle last season for U Mumba

Even though U Mumba failed to dominate the league like they had done before, the viewers must thank the team for gifting them the partnership of two of the most experienced Kabaddi players in the last edition of the tournament. After an uncharacteristic off season with Patna Pirates, Kumar seemed to be on a mission to stave off the previous season's not so pleasant memories of warming the bench injured. And boy! what a way to bounce back it was.

The Titans' investment in the vast experience of Kumar seems to be driven by the desire to provide the mercurial Chaudhari an anchor. Moreover, in the initial stages of the fourth season, when Chaudhari repeatedly failed to conjure up the magic of the past seasons, the team looked lost in the absence of a second dependable raider. With his doubtless abilities on the mat, Kumar could easily prove to be that part of the jigsaw puzzle the Titans missed last season.

#2 Rahul Chaudhari

With his boy next door looks and a game that can enthral any crowd, Chaudhari has emerged as the poster boy of Pro Kabaddi

If there were multiple Kabaddi leagues across the world and Indian players were to be in the fray, there is no argument over who would be the first Indian to get picked. Not only he has the game to dazzle but the way he has carried himself as a key player in the last four seasons is reason enough to label him the first superstar of Pro Kabaddi.

482 raid points in the entire history of the tournament with 146 coming alone in the last season underline his importance for the Titans set up. However, as the last season demonstrated, Chaudhari doesn’t always hit the ground running and he makes his fans wait before bringing out his best. Titans would need that to change this time around and would hope that he can maintain his fitness throughout the season.

While he won’t have Sukesh Hegde to support him in the raiding duties, anyone would agree Rakesh Kumar is more than a decent replacement.

#3 Rohit Rana

Rohit Rana didn't enjoy a great 4th edition of the PKL and played in just 5 matches for the Panthers

The first season of the Pro Kabaddi league saw the emergence of defence over offence strategy and one of the two names who could be credited for the same will join hands with Telugu Titans this season. Rohit Rana may have faded from public memory owing to his limited appearance on the mat in the last season, yet the man from Himachal Pradesh hasn’t lost any of the bite that made him so dangerous in the first and second season when he plied his trade for the Jaipur Pink Panthers.

Back to full fitness, Rohit Rana can easily emerge as the most important figure in the Titans defence with his aggressive thigh holds. It will be interesting to see though how he fares in the absence of Rann Singh, who has been his closest ally in the Panthers team.

#4 Nilesh Salunke

Nilesh Salunke earned the faith of the Titans management last season

Nilesh Salunke was a little-known quantity on the PKL stage before the fourth season, having accrued just seven appearances for Puneri Paltan in the third season. The break came in the form of a contract with Telugu Titans and that pretty much changed the trajectory of the Maharashtra man’s PKL career.

He performed decently whenever he was called on to the mat in the last season and with Sukesh Hegde missing from the scheme of things for Telugu Titans, he will take on the mantle of the second most vital raider in the team. With a longer run in the tournament, he can do wonders for the Titans.

#5 Vinoth Kumar

If any of the frontline raiders fail, Titans will need young Vinoth to step up and take responsibility

Vinoth Kumar showed considerable progress in the last season. With the likes of Chaudhari, Rakesh and Salunke in the team, there is little doubt that chances will not come in abundance for the young Vinoth in the fifth season of Pro Kabaddi.

However, the raider has shown in his limited appearances on the mat that if not capable of delivering knockout punches, he can definitely chip in with vital raid points. Moreover, the calm head on his shoulders bodes well for him as he seems to have a lot of learning to do this season with names of Rakesh Kumar and Rahul Chaudhari around him.