The Jaipur Pink Panthers are aiming to become the only team in PKL history to win back-toback titles.
The defending champions Jaipur Pink Panthers have begun preparing for the Pro Kabaddi League in 2023. Jaipur defeated Puneri Paltan to win their second title last year. They are now aiming for three titles, as PKL-2023 is set to start in a couple of weeks.
The squad has not undergone many changes, and they are one of the favourites to win the tournament. . InsideSport looks at the team’s performance throughout the years as well as their squad for the coming season.
Jaipur Pink Panthers performances over the years in PKL
The Jaipur Pink Panthers became the champions of PKL’s inaugural edition in 2014. The team did not have a good run in the following two seasons as they did no reach the playoffs.
The Panthers came very close to winning their second title in the following season. They finished as runners-up, however, after losing the final to Patna Pirates.
The team was unable to qualify for the playoffs in the four seasons that followed. The team then made a great comeback and won the title in their last edition.
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Retaining Players
Prior to the auction, most of the players who were a part of the team that won the title last season were retained. Arjun Deshwal, Ankush and Arjun were retained as the best raider/defender and raider/defender respectively.
Other experienced players such as Sahul Kumar Sunil Kumar Ajith Kumar Reza Mirbhageri Bhavani Rajput and others were not released. Rahul Chaudhari is another big name that was released this year before the auction.
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How did the team perform at the PKL auction?
Having retained its core, the team needed to buy only back-up players. However, they bought Rahul Chaudhari back for the base price of Rs. 13 lakhs.
Mohamedhosein Amarmaleki, a young Iranian raider, was purchased for 13 lakhs. They filled the remaining sports with upcoming athletes Shashank Navneet Lavish Lucky Sharma Sumeet.
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Jaipur Pink Panthers – Squad
Raiders: Arjun Deshwal, Ajith Kumar V, Bhavani Rajput, Rahul Chaudhari, Amir Hossein Mohammadmaleki, Devank, Shashank B, Navneet, Amir Maleki.
Defenders: Sahul Kumar, Ankush, Sunil Kumar, Reza Mirbhageri, Abhishek KS, Ashish, Lucky Sharma, Lavish, Sumit