JAIPUR PINK PANTHERS (JPP) SQUAD ANALYSIS
The Pro Kabbadi League Season 10 is set to begin from 2nd December. Spirits are high for an another blockbuster season. This is going to be a huge season again as the league round will consist of 132 matches such that each team faces the other twice.
We are here with the squad analysis of all the 12 teams starting with the defending champions Jaipur Pink Panthers (JPP)
Jaipur Pink Panthers - the defending champions do not look much different from the last season. They had already retained their major players & as expected didn't go behind huge names in the auction. However, they bagged in some skilled young raiders & defenders to support their well settled core.
SQUAD
Raiders
Arjun Deshwal (Right)
V Ajith Kumar (Left)
Rahul Choudhary (Left/Right)
Bhavani Rajput (Right)
Amirhossein Mohammad Maleki (Right)
Navneet Sehrawat (Left)
Devank (Right)
Abhimanyu Raghuvanshi (Left/Right)
Shashank B (Left)
Abhijit Malik (Left/Right)
Defenders
Sunil Kumar (Right Cover)
Sumit (Left Corner)
Ankush (Left Corner)
Lavish (Right Cover)
Sahul Kumar (Right Corner)
Lucky Sharma (Right Corner)
Ashish (Left Corner)
Abhishek KS (Left Cover)
Reza Mirbagheri (Left Cover)
Probable 7
Ankush (Left Corner)
V Ajith Kumar (Left IN + Support Raider)
Arjun Deshwal (Center/Main Raider)
Sunil Kumar (Right Cover)
Abhishek KS (Left Cover)
Rahul Choudhary (Right IN + Support Raider)/Reza Mirbagheri (Left Cover/Extra Defender)
Sahul Kumar (Right Corner)
STRENGTH
Well Settled Core
Panthers' have maintained the same core as the last season.
Arjun Deshwal - the top raider of the last season will lead the raiding front with V Ajith Kumar & Rahul Choudhary as 2nd - 3rd raiders. Bhavani Rajput is good candidate for appearing in top 7 as well.
Their defence front has to be leaded by Captain Sunil Kumar (Right Cover ) & Ankush (Left Corner). The other side should also remain the same with Abhisek KS at left cover & Sahul Kumar at Right Corner.
Alongwith these 7, Panthers have Reza Mirbagheri (Left Cover) & Lucky Sharma (Right Corner) to strengthen their defence & allow them to go with even 5 + 2 combo as they went in the 2nd half of the last season.
Experience & Youth Amalgam
The Panthers' constitute
Sunil Kumar - The Vice Captain of Indian National Team, Asian Games Gold Medalist; Arjun Deshwal - Asian Games & Asian Championship Gold Medalist; Rahul Choudhary - Crowned as Raid Machine of PKL at his peak; Reza Mirbagheri - Silver Medalist of Asian Games.
These 4 alongwith V Ajith Kumar bring a lot of experience with skills to the squad. Moreover, the young players like Ankush & Lucky Sharma have shown their worth in the recently concluded National Games. The Iranian Young Raider Amirhossein Mohammad Maleki is worth a mention as well.
Variation in Raid
The Panthers' Raid Battery looks solid with the likes of Arjun Deshwal, V Ajith Kumar & Rahul Choudhary.
Arjun Deshwal being the main raider should go for at least 55-60% of the raids which means their mejority of raids have to be from Right side. But, V Ajith Kumar provides with the left raiding option alongwith Rahul Choudhary who can raid from both the sides mejority being from the left. However, this variation is not only limited to their top 7 but once you look at their bench, they have 2 good Right Raiders Bhawani Rajput & Amirhossein Mohammad Maleki which ensures almost equal raids from both the sides.
This variation will keep the opposition defence in check & will never let them settle.
Top Left Side Defence
Panthers' Left side defence should mainly be made of Left Corner Ankush & Right Cover Sunil Kumar.
Ankush was the top defender of season 9 with 84 tackles in 24 Matches. Sunil Kumar too had successfully earned 62 tackle points in 23 Matches.
These 2 played with great understanding & combination. It was a nightmare for right raiders to raid against Ankush & Sunil and it is going to be no difference this season again.
WEAKNESS/CHALLENGES
The Inconsistent Right Side Defence
Panthers' right side defence is marked by Right Corner Sahul Kumar & Left Cover Abhishek KS. Sahul Kumar is one of the least consistent defenders of the league and always a tempting defender for advance tackles & Abhisek KS is a less tackle attempting defender. This had become the headache for Panthers last season & to compensate they had to go with 5 defenders in the 2nd half of the season. Subsequently, the opponents should be targetting Panthers' with more of Left Raiders than Right against them.
However, They have in form Right Corner Lucky Sharma & Left Cover Reza Mirbagheri who can be handy but were used either as substitutes or extra defenders last season. It will be interesting if Panthers' keep their trust on Sahul - Abhishek or start with Lucky - Reza this season.
No sheer depth in Raiding & Inconsistent 2nd & 3rd Raiders
Rahul Choudhary & V Ajith Kumar most expectedly will be supporting Arjun Deshwal with their Left Raids. They both were quite good last season especially in 2nd half of the season. But, both of these are not someone who consistently perform for the team against strong defence. Subsequently, Arjun Deshwal can fall alone at raiding front. Any unfortunate injury to Arjun can completely shatter the team balance.
Expectations
Jaipur Pink Panthers having won the PKL season 9 with more or less similar squad will be high on confidence to become the 2nd team to defend their PKL crown after Patna Pirates. They have most of their bases covered and they have shown already how to manage their challenges. Their bench strength especially backup defenders are enough skilled to eliminate the deficiencies. However, their over - dependency on Arjun Deshwal can not be ignored.
Predictions
Knock Out Chances - Good
Top Raider - Arjun Deshwal
Top Defender - Ankush
Dark Horse - Lucky Sharma
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