Jaipur Pink Panthers will be looking to defend their title in PKL 2023. The defending champions have not tinkered too much with their combination and have shown faith in most of their players, who were instrumental in helping the team go all the way last year.
They will begin their title defence in the upcoming season against last year’s finalist Puneri Paltan. The match will be played on 4th December. InsideSport predicts the starting seven for the defending champions for the match.
![Insidesport](https://www.insidesport.in/wp-content/themes/_isp-v2/assets/src/images/placeholders/default.webp)
Arjun Deshwal
Arjun Deshwal is the lead raider for the the defending champions. He was the league’s best-performing raider last year with 296 raid points.
He is expected to replicate a similar show for the side in PKL 2023.
Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar did his job to perfection as the secondary raider in the last season. He scored 100 raid points in 21 matches last year.
He will be a sure-starter for the team and is expected to continue as the support raider for Arjun Deshwal.
Rahul Chaudhari
Veteran Rahul Chaudhari went unsold earlier at the auction this year. He was however reacquired by the team later for his base price of 13 lakhs.
Rahul Chaudhari played 21 matches for the side last season and did a decent job by picking up 71 raid points. He is expected to continue as the third raider in PKL 2023.
Ankush
Left corner defender Ankush was the best-performing raider for the team last year. He scored 89 raid points and played a vital role in the team’s success.
He was retained by the team for the upcoming season. The youngster will look to continue his success in PKL 2023.
Also Read: Pro Kabaddi: PKL 2023 live streaming details, previous winners & all you need to know
Sunil Kumar
The experienced Sunil Kumar captained the team to the title in the last season. He also led from the front with his performance.
The skipper scored 64 tackle points from 23 matches. He is likely to continue in the responsibility as the team eyes second successive title.
![Insidesport](https://www.insidesport.in/wp-content/themes/_isp-v2/assets/src/images/placeholders/default.webp)
Sahul Kumar
In the last two seasons, Sahul Kumar has scored more than 100 tackle points for the Jaipur Pink Panthers.
Sahul Kumar and Ankush formed a deadly combination in left corners. The formidable duo will continue the partnership yet again this season.
Reza Mirbhageri
In his debut PKL season, Iranian Reza Mirbhageri scored 36 tackle points from 16 matches. He will look to improve the show in the PKL 2023 and is expected to feature in most of the matches for the side.
Editor's Pick
![EXCLUSIVE: Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli should've played Duleep Trophy, says Pragyan Ojha](https://d16f573ilcot6q.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/imago1028753180h-339x234.jpg)