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Captain Ajay Thakur was impressive as ever as the debutants wowed their fans in spite of finishing bottom of the heap in Zone B of Season 5.
Bolstered by some smart moves at the PKL auction, the Chennai-based franchise seems to have found the perfect balance and will now look to challenge their adversaries afresh when they get their campaign underway on October 7 in the PKL 2018.
Edachery Bhaskaran, the man who guided U Mumbai all the way to the top in Season 2 will now be coaching Tamil Thalaivas who procured the services of 19 players for the upcoming season.
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The team co-owned by Sachin Tendulkar managed to win just 6 of their 22 encounters last season but have retained Ajay Thakur, Amit Hooda, and C. Arun, all of whom played key roles for the side.
In addition, they have roped in Sukesh Hegde, Jasvir Singh, Surjeet Singh, Athul MS, and K. Jayaseelan in the raiding department.
Here is the look at the Top 5 raiders whose contributions will be vital for the Thalaivas to succeed in the upcoming season.
#5 K Jayaseelan
If the Chennai team had their way, the promising 20-year-old would have been part of the squad for their debut season. Since that failed to happen, K Jayaseelan now finds himself in the Thalaiva's ranks for Season 6 after having been picked up for a price of 12 lakhs at the PKL auction.
The youngster was spotted by Ajay Thakur last year who was keen on welcoming the Tamil Nadu raider to the side ever since. The captain himself has made no secret of the fact that he is impressed by Jayaseelan's skills and that makes him the newest raider to watch out for.
#4 Surjeet Singh
The Haryana lad began his PKL journey with Dabang Delhi in Season 3 and was impressive right at the outset earning 68 points in the 12 matches that he played. Surjeet who also represents Services played the role of a secondary striker for Season 4 title-holders Patna Pirates.
The star raider was part of the Indian team that won gold in the 2014 Asian Games and displayed his raiding prowess for Haryana Steelers last season picking up 63 points from 17 matches.
Tamil Thalaivas will now look to Surjeet to improve their fortunes in the upcoming season as his overall statistics leave no room for doubt as to capabilities. The Navy man earned a total of 168 points from 39 matches with a successful raid percentage of 33.24%.
#3 Jasvir Singh
The Nawab will bring to the table a lot more than his raiding skills when he dons the role of a Thalaiva, as Jasvir's persona is just as impressive as his achievements for India and his franchise.
A World Cup gold-medalist, Jasvir was instrumental in guiding the Jaipur Pink Panthers to victory in Season 2 after having scored 106 raid points (and a total of 113) in the first season of the competition.
Using the Scorpion Kick, which is his signature move to good effect many a time, the veteran from Haryana has 366 points in his kitty from the 61 matches that he has played thus far.
#2 Sukesh Hedge
The agile stalwart from Mangalore spent four successful seasons with the Telugu Titans before being asked to shoulder the captain's responsibility for the Gujarat Fortune Giants last season.
Sukesh earned 77 points from 18 matches for the Gujarat outfit last season with a not-out percentage of 87.65%.
The raiders initial years with the Hyderabad-based side witnessed some outstanding performances wherein Sukesh turned out for the Telugu Titans 49 times in four seasons and amassed 209 points.
Sukesh's leadership skills along with his undeniable qualities as a raider will be vital for the Thalaivas in their quest for an improved win record in the coming season.
#1 Ajay Thakur
The architect of India's 2016 World Cup triumph has a never-say-die attitude and the escape artist has delivered in crucial moments for club and country. As a raider, he is one of the very best in the business having accumulated a mammoth 529 raid points in 80 matches.
Ajay has perfected the frog jump move and used it to devastating effect time and again. The six-footer started off with the Bengaluru Bulls for the first couple of seasons and spent the next couple with Puneri Paltan before being picked up by the Chennai-based side where he excelled last season.
Against the Bengal Warriors last September, Ajay scored 7 raid points in the last 5 minutes to guide the Thaliavas to a last-gasp win by a 33-32 margin. The match against the Bengal side was just one of many in which the master raider displayed his tenacity, and he will continue to be the key for the Chennai side who will be hoping that their prolific captain gets them closer to the top this time around.
