PKL 10: Top 3 Jaipur Pink Panthers Defenders to watch out for in Pro Kabaddi League 2023
Defending champions Jaipur Pink Panthers are all set to try and replicate their success from last season in the upcoming 10th edition of Pro Kabaddi League. It was Jaipur's 2nd PKL title and first since winning the inaugural edition in 2014.
It took them 8 years to get their hands on the trophy but it was very resounding the way they did so. Pink Panthers firstly invested correctly in the player auction and then the players, be it raiders or defenders, produced emphatic performances.
Jaipur won 15, lost 6 but had the lowest number of Ties - 1. With that in mind, Sanjeev Baliyan decided to retain their core set of players as they clearly look to replicate their success from last year.
We have done their SWOT analysis as well as the Top 3 raiders to watch out for in PKL 10. And in this peace, we are analyzing the Top 3 Jaipur Pink Panthers Defenders to watch out for this December.
1. Ankush Rathee: Left corner Ankush Rathee was absolutely raging in what was his debut season last year. The 23-year-old was not only Jaipur's best defender but he was also Season 9's best defender, finishing higher than the combative Iranian Mohammadreza Chiyaneh.
He made a total of 132 total tackles in which he scored 89 tackle points. Thats an average of 3.71 tackle points per match and 64% of tackle success rate. Ankush amassed 9 High 5s and completed 5 Super tackles. He was certainly a force to reckon with last year and there are very high possibilities of Rathee doing it all over again.
2. Sunil Kumar: Left cover Sunil Kumar recently won the Asian Games gold medal with India and has significantly gained invaluable experience from the continental games. Jaipur made the highest bid for him in Season 9 auction and what a decision it turned out to be.
For a fact there weren't enough reasons for Jaipur to buy him given his performances from previous seasons with Gujarat Giants. From 38 tackle points in Season 8 to scoring 64 tackle points in 23 matches in Season 9, Sunil Kumar is expected be at his best in PKL 10.
He averaged 2.78 tackle points last year including 4 High 5s and 2 Super tackles and finished as the 4th Best defender of PKL 9.
3. Sahul Kumar: Last but not the least, Right corner and previous edition's 9th best defender Sahul Kumar is our last pick. He joined Jaipur Pink Panthers ahead of Season 8 and he scored 45 tackle points in his debut season.
His average was decent as well of 2.5 and that improved to 2.33 in his 2nd season. Sahul looked more mature and more in control of his game in 2022, forming a solid trio with Ankush and Sunil. He scored 56 tackle points with a success rate of 41% and also scored 3 Super tackles and 3 High 5s each.
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