Top 5 players on which Gujarat Giants can go Big in PKL 10 Auction
Gujarat Giants will look to enter the 10th season of Pro Kabaddi League with renwed hopes of winning the competition for the first time in their history. However, in order to perform that Miracle, Gujarat will have to pull off a decent Auction.
With more than 500 players set to be in the Player pool, the Giants will have to make smart use of their remaining Purse. With just 5 players left in their Retained players list, Gujarat have at least more than 4 Crores available for Player buys.
Only season 7 champions, Bengal Warriors have more money than Gujarat at the moment. And after an 8th place finish last season, head coach Ram Mehar Singh is all set to bring some new faces.
After releasing most of their core players from last season, Ram Mehar has kept Raiders Sonu, Rakesh and Parteek Dahiya, Defender Manuj and All-Rounder Rohan Singh.
If we take a deep look at their squad, then Gujarat currently lack Big and reliable names in both Raiding and defensive departments. A Defensive renovation will be the agenda. Rinku Narwal, Baldev Singh, Sandeep Kandola, Arkam Sheikh among other defensive options have been let go off but some of them could return through FBM cards.
Gujarat need all 4 types of defenders - Righ Cover-Corner & Left Cover-Corner.
Offensively, Gujarat's retained raiders are Right raiders, the skillful Rakesh Sangroya and Giants' highest scoring raider last year Parteek Dahiya.
The latter impressed in only his Debut season, finishing as the 7th Best raider in PKL 9 with 178 raid points and a fierce Not-out rate of 77.085.
Ram Mehar Singh will have to find a player, (specifically 2 Left raiders) who can support Parteek in case of injuries and out of form scenarios. Gujarat can and might spend big on someone particular as their Purse will allow them but could this be the season that Gujarat Giants take one step forward.
The Season 5 and 6 Runners-up finished with 59 points last year in what was Ram Mehar Singh's first season as Coach. Don't forget he is the same coach who landed the last of Patna's 3 PKL titles in a row from Season 3 to Season 5.
Having a lot of money to build a new squad, here are Top 5 players that Gujarat Giants can buy in Pro Kabaddi League 10 auction.
1. Maninder Singh: One of the 2 star Raiders that Gujarat Giants can go after is last season's 5th Best raider Maninder Singh. The Punjab born Raider scored 238 raid points last year but that was over shadowed by Bengal Warrior's 11th place finish last season.
He has currently been released by Bengal and he could return there but Gujarat can make it a little difficult for them. The 33-year-old could be a perfect fit there as he brings in wealth of experience and efficiency as well as a good rhythm from last season.
If required, Gujarat can enter the fray for Maninder as he is also a Captaincy contendor.
2. Pawan Sehrawat: Gujarat Giants will be among the teams that are expected to increase Pawan Sehrawat's value during the 2-day Season 10 Auction. The 27-year-old raider is currently in the player pool and with a purse of more than 4 Crores, Gujarat's decision to go after Pawan will be a No brainer.
Pawan will add a lot of value to Gujarat who need a name to lead from the front along with Parteek Dahiya and Rakesh Sangroya. The Giants could offer Pawan the perfect chance of making a comeback after an injury ruined his last season with Tamil.
He was a part of Bengaluru Bulls' season 6 triumph and Ram Mehar singh could use him to win a first title for Gujarat Giants.
3. Shrikant Jadhav: The Maharashtra born Raider who player for Bengal Warriors last season, will be a good buy for Gujarat Giants. Shrikant is a Left raider, something that Gujarat will lack even after signing either of Maninder or Pawan.
Jadhav is a well-built 6-ft tall left raider who has no shortage of experience and is considered as a Do-or-Die specialist. His calmness on the mat is exemplary, something Gujarat will need in nervy situations.
He has played from Season 3 to Season 9 for teams like Bengal Warriors, UP Yoddhas and U Mumba, scoring a total of 606 raid points.
4. Fazel Atrachali: PKL's most successful defender with 400 tackle points could be back to Gujarat Giants after an 1-year stay at Puneri Paltan. Atrachali was among the players who was a part of Gujarat Giants' team that reached the PKL final in season 5.
He was bought for INR 55 Lakhs in Season 5 auction but moved to U Mumba for INR 100 Lakhs the following season. After 2 seasons there, Puneri Paltan bought Atrachali for 1.38 Crores and led the team to their maiden Final where they eventually lost to Jaipur Pink Panthers.
With Gujarat needing a defensive reinforcement, Fazel could be a viable option for Ram Mehar Singh.
5. Rohit Gulia: 25-year-old All-Rounder Rohit Gulia will come in as another option of Left-raider. For those who did not know, Rohit was Season 9's 10th Best raider with 148 raid points in 19 matches. His journey in Pro Kabaddi League started with the Gujarat Giants in Season 5 and spent 3 years with them.
Gulia in his 3 years, scored 225 raid points and was a part of Gujarat in their Season 5 and 6 finale loss. This concludes the list of Top 5 players that Gujarat Giants will go after in PKL 10 Auction.
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