Pro Kabaddi League 2017 Season 5: Puneri Paltan's predicted starting line-up

Having missed out on a potential final by a whisker in Season 4, Puneri Paltan head into the upcoming season with possibly the strongest squad compared to the other eleven teams. An ideal balance of sturdy defenders and adventurous raiders will serve them well against opponents of equal calibre.

One could go out on a limb and declare the Paltan as one of the favourites to lift the Pro Kabaddi title this time around. That being said, let’s take a look at the seven men who could possibly start for Pune this season.

#1 Deepak Niwas Hooda

Deepak will enter this edition on the back of his best season till date. With a massive 126 points to his name in season 4, Hooda has every right to expect greater and better things from himself and his team. There couldn’t have been a better time for him to take up captaincy responsibilities. Still only 24-years-old, the all-rounder manoeuvres across the mat like a seasoned veteran. An extremely calm yet effective approach helps him separate himself from the chasing pack.

Do Pune have the best do or die raider in the league?

#2 Rajesh Mondal

Rajesh Mondal scored 57 raid points for Patna Pirates in season 4. It’s not a massive tally by any means. But each those 57 points came at a time when his side were reeling and wounded. Not since the inception of Pro Kabaddi have we seen a better do or die raider than Mondal. It’s a situation that he thrives on and looks forward. When the going gets tough, Pune can rest easy. They have a dependable raider in Rajesh.

#3 Rohit Choudary

Rohit will be tasked with the dreaded role of the third raider in this team. The third raider has to ensure he keeps the scorecard ticking and give the primary raiders a breather every now and then. It remains to be seen if Choudary will be up to this challenging task. With 21 games under his belt, he has enough experience to know what will be expected of him.

Dharmaraj is one of the wisest defenders around.

#4 Dharmaraj Cheralathan

This Pune side is littered with men who think on their feet and Dharmaraj is the best amongst them. With an impressive 39 tackle points, he was by far the oldest player to feature among the top ten defenders in season 4 (7th rank). There will be times when Hooda will find himself in situation that he’s never been in, during such occasions, he can bank on Dharmaraj to make the right decision and keep the squad on point.

#5 Girish Ernak

Girish Ernak belongs to a peculiar breed of players. The kind of player who never steals the limelight nor the newspaper headlines. But at the end of forty minutes, he gets the job done. He isn’t a stellar defender but neither is he a bad one. He’s the type of player that every coach wishes for in his team. Come what may, Girish will ensure he puts in a 7/10 performance every time he steps on the mat.

Sandeep is gifted with some nimble feet and a hawk like vision.

#6 Sandeep Narwal

Whether it was at Patna Pirates or Telugu Titans, one could observe a trend – Sandeep Narwal is a tireless kabaddi player who loves to get into the thick of things. If he had it his way, he’d be more than happy to play two games a day, such is the tenacity with which he plays the sport. Quick feet and gifted with the vision of a hawk, Pune possess the best all-rounder in the league.

#7 Ravi Kumar

The former Bengal Warriors right cover will complete Pune’s quartet of defenders. With three other experienced players alongside him, 23-year-old Kumar has enough back up for him to play freely without any qualms what so ever. That being said, he can’t afford to be the easy prey for opposition raiders and will have to be on his toes at all times.