The wait is set to end as the 10th edition of the Pro Kabaddi 2023 will get underway on 2nd December, Saturday. Gujarat Giants and Telugu Titans will meet in the opening clash of the PKL 2023 at the TransStadia in Ahmedabad. The match will begin at 7.30 PM IST. The day will also witness U Mumba taking on UP Yoddhas later in the night.
Gujarat Giants vs Telugu Titans
Gujarat Giants and Telugu Titans are yet to win the title in the league. Both the teams are looking for a turnaround of fortunes this Pro Kabaddi season. They have roped in star players to lead them this year. Iranian Fazel Atrachali returns to Gujarat Giants, while Telugu Titans will have Indian skipper Pawan Sehrawat as their captain.
Illustrious coach Ram Mehar Singh has managed to put together a strong squad for the Giants this season. Apart from Fazel’s experience the team also have another experienced Iranian Mohammad Nabhibhaksh, Indians Sombir and Sorav Gulia that makes their defence a strong unit.
In the raiding department, they have retained the services of Rakesh Sangroya and Prateek Dahiya. Both the raiders impressed in the league last year and will look to continue from where they left off. At the auction, the Giants also secured star all-rounder Rohit Gulia.
The Gujarat Giants look strong on paper with a good blend of experience and youth. Playing in front of the home crowd, they will want to start the season on a high.
Also Read: Pro Kabaddi League: Greatest playing 7 in PKL history, Check PKL Dream Team
Gujarat Giants Squad
Raiders: Rakesh Sangroya, Prateek Dahiya, GB More, Sonu Jaglan
Defenders: Fazel Atrachali, Sombir, Sourav Gulia, Deepak Rajender, Ravi Kumar, Manuj, Nitesh, Jagdeep
All-Rounders: Rohit Gulia, Mohammad Nabhibhaksh, Arkam Shaikh, Vikas Jaglan, Rohan Singh, Jitender Yadav, D Balaji
Telugu Titans failed to reach the playoffs in the last five seasons. Infact in the last two seasons, the team finished successively at the bottom of the points table. The team seek redemption in the upcoming edition.
At the auction this year, the team bought Pawan Sehrawat for a record fee of 2.6 crores. The team’s success will depend a lot of Pawan Sehrawat as he has to carry the team on his shoulders.
Telugu Titans Squad
Raiders: Pawan Sehrawat, Vinay Redhu, Robin Chaudhary, Praful Javre, Omkar Patil
Defenders: Parvesh Bhainswal, Milad Jabbari, Mohit, Nitin, Gaurav Dahiya, Ajit Panwar, Ankit Jaglan
All-Rounders: Rajnish Dalal, Shankar Gadai, Hamid Nader, Omkar More, S Sanjeevi.
U Mumba vs UP Yoddhas
2015 champions U Mumba will be led by Surinder Singh in the upcoming season. The team almost retained the core group of players from the last edition. In the raiding department they will have Guman Singh and Jai Bhagwan as the leaders of the attack. Surinder Singh and Rinku meanwhile will have to lead in the defence.
The team bought two young Iranians in Amirmohamed Zafardanesh and Alireza Mirzaeian. Both the players impressed in the Asian Games this year and all eyes will be on them as they can be the X-factor players for the side.
U Mumba Squad
Raiders: Jai Bhagwan, Haiderali Ekrami, Guman Singh, Alireza Mirzaeian, Pranay Rane, Rupesh, Sachin, Shivam Thakur, Rohit Yadav, Kunal Bhati
All-Rounders: Amirmohamed Zafardanesh, Saurav Parthi, V Vishwanath
Defenders: Rinku, Surender Singh, Mahender Singh, Girish Ernak, Shivansh Thakur, Somveer Goswami, Mukilan Shanmugam, M Gokulakannan, Bittu Banwala
UP Yoddhas are the most consistent team in the Pro Kabaddi League history. Having reached the playoffs in every edition since their debut in Season 5, the team no aim to go all the way and win the title.
They will be playing with the same core group of players. Experienced Pardeep Narwal, Surender Gill will lead the raids. While the defence will have Nitesh Kumar and Sumit. They have also bought all-rounder Vijay Malik this year, who will further bolster the team’s attack.
UP Yoddhas Squad
Raiders: Pardeep Narwal, Surender Gill, Ashu Singh, Gulveer Singh, Mahipal, Anil Kumar
Defenders: Nitesh Kumar, Sumit, Harendra Kumar, Kiran Laxman Magar
All-Rounders: Vijay Malik, Gurdeep, Samuel Wafala, Helvic Wanjala, Nitin Panwar
- ALSO Read
- Pro Kabaddi Full Schedule
- UNSOLD players in PKL Auction 2023
- PKL10 Full list of coaches
- PKL 10 Full Squads
- Team Report Card – Rating all squads in PKL 2023
