Pro Kabaddi League 2018: Predicting Tamil Thalaivas' starting seven for the initial matches

The franchise based on Tamil Nadu, Tamil Thalaivas left a remarkable impression in their very first season of the Pro Kabaddi.

In spite of winning only 6 games out of 22 matches, Tamil Thalaivas consisted of young fierce players who had a courageous willpower led by their innocent-cum-audacious leader, Ajay Thakur.

Ajay led the team as a captain and an inspiration to his youngsters. Tamil Thalaivas were known to be the comeback team in the second half of majority of matches.

Their victories weren't upset victories at all, they beat teams like Bengal Warriors, U.P. Yoddha, runners-up Gujarat Fortune Giants and even the season winners, Patna Pirates in the dying stages of the matches.

Ajay Thakur was magnificent for the team throughout the season scoring 222 total (raid and defense) points in 22 matches.

He was noted to give crucial points in the final raids that gave them close victories over gigantic teams. It was a disappointing season but the Thalaivas left their astonishing marks on many Kabaddi fans.

For Season six, Tamil Thalaivas retained Ajay Thakur, Amit Hooda and C. Arun who played crucially for the team in Season 5 and retained Anand, Rajnish and D Pradap as NYP retentions.

In the Season 6 auctions, Tamil Thalaivas managed to sign 19 players in their squad where Ajay Thakur was the highest paid Thalaiva with ₹76.23 lakhs.

Ex U Mumba coach, Edacherry Bhaskaran will coach this team in Season 6, a team which is undoubtedly the most balanced side in Pro Kabaddi Season 6. Here is a prediction on how Tamil Thalaivas might line up in their playing 7 for the initial matches of the tournament.

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Right Corner: Amit Hooda

Amit Hooda scored 61 tackle points in 22 matches of Season 6, 7th best defender of Season 5!

The second best defender of Season 4, Amit Hooda had a fantastic outing for Jaipur Pink Panthers when he brought 51 tackle points in 16 matches which took the Panthers to the finals of Season 4.

Ever since then, Hooda has been a reputed defender in the Pro Kabaddi who leads the defense single-handedly.

Amit is known to have a plethora of defensive skills. Whether it be diving over both ankles of the left raiders or a clean ankle hold, he knows how to break the momentum of raiders trying to reach the midline. Hooda sometimes surprises the raiders with his pillar-like frontal blocks.

Hooda has 144 tackle points in 54 matches with an average of 2.67 tackle point per match. He'll be executing combination tackles with Manjeet Chhillar in the left cover which be a feast to the eyes for many Kabaddi fans.

Right In: Ajay Thakur

Ajay led the Thalaivas from the front and scored an enormous 213 raid points in 22 matches of Season 5 with 12 Super 10s

Ajay Thakur is one of the finest raiders who has established himself as a fine leader who loves to take challenges. If you talk about his experience, the numbers are sky high.

Ajay is the third best raider in Pro Kabaddi history with 529 raid points in 80 matches. Ajay has 122 do or die raid points, the most by any raider in Pro Kabaddi. With 22 super 10s and 18 super raids, Ajay has led the raiding strength of his team right to the top.

Having the height of 1.85m, Ajay is known as the 'escape artist' with his ability to escape because of his long stretch and gets points through the running hand touches as well.

After a remarkable outing in the international Kabaddi (Dubai Kabaddi Masters), Ajay will look to establish an immense dominance of his matured raiding and leadership.

Right Cover: Darshan J

Dashan J (fourth from right to left) had a remarkable debut in Season 5.

Darshan J was the find for Tamil Thalaivas in Season 5 of the Pro Kabaddi League. He supported his defense along with C. Arun and helped the team's defense with numerous super tackle opportunities.

He averaged 2 tackle points in Season five attaining 40 tackle points in 20 matches with 39 successful tackles up for grabs.

He aids the defensive line up, dashing the raiders to break their chances of getting to the midline and has a pillar-like block. Darshan will look to continue his good form when he combines his tackles with the left corner and aids him well for the upcoming season.

Center: Jasvir Singh

Jasvir has played 61 matches with the Jaipur Pink Panthers from the inaugural season till Season 5.

Jasvir is known as the 'Nawab' of the Pro Kabaddi who is an experienced veteran of the game. Known to start his raid proceedings in a very calm and composed manner, Jasvir raises the speed of his footwork as soon as the timer goes down.

He has established a reputation with his trademark move, the scorpion kick. His short height allows him to move across the court vividly and steal a point once the defender makes a mistake. He sometimes surprises the fans with his escapes over the mightiest of defense finding the smallest routes.

Jasvir has 338 raid points with an average of 5.54 raid points per match in 61 matches and has seven super 10s up to his name. This will be the first time when Jasvir will be donning the jersey of a brand new team, the yellow jersey of Tamil Thalaivas.

Left Cover: Manjeet Chhillar

With 19 High5s and 235 successful tackles, Manjeet Chhillar is tops the charts in the defensive tally of Pro Kabaddi.

In spite of his age, Manjeet Chhillar is still regarded as the best all-rounder across India today. Known as the 'one man army' Manjeet is able to take the opposition single-handedly with the rock-solid defense and raiding abilities.

Manjeet has evolved more as a defender because of him dealing with fitness issues. He is the player to have most tackle points with 243 tackle points and 212 raid points in 74 matches.

Having wrestling abilities inherited from the past, Manjeet Chhillar has the most beautiful block in Pro Kabaddi.

He is also known to dash the raiders out of the court and sometimes execute a double thigh hold. Manjeet has the slowest footwork in terms of raiding, however, he can score a touch point with his toe touches and running kicks as well.

Known for his aggression and audacity, Manjeet all in all is a much valuable veteran to the team and his records already justify why he deserves a place in the playing seven.

Left In: Sukesh Hegde

Sukesh Hegde ranks 12th in the total raid points tally and has 10 super raids up his name.

If you've observed Sukesh Hegde's gameplay, he has evolved into becoming a lead raider on his own recently. Earlier this year, Sukesh led his team to the semifinals of Senior National Championship 2017-18 and became an independent pressure-free raider.

Sukesh can execute some hand touches pretty well on the mat and has good backtracking abilities that allow him to escape firmly.

He loves to target the covers especially the right covers and can also use kicks as well to grab a touch point.

Hegde has 284 raid points in 67 matches averaging 4.24 raid points per match. Possessing leadership qualities, Sukesh will establish himself as a free-minded raider and will assist Ajay throughout the upcoming season.

Left Corner: Sunil Kumar

Sunil Kumar executing a diving ankle hold over Panthers' raider.

Having played for U Mumba and Dabang Delhi K.C. in the past, Sunil will join another high-quality side in the upcoming season of Pro Kabaddi.

Sunil has good sets of defensive skills on the mat. In spite of his lesser average tackle point, he firmly opens arms to grab the raiders on their lower body and pulls them away from the midline.

Sunil is also known to dive over the ankles of the right raiders and uses ankle holds as well pretty often.

Sunil has 92 tackle points in 52 matches and will mostly get supported by Darshan J. This combination will bring good strength in the lineup and will outclass many raiders as well.

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