It’s close to being a decade since the start of the Pro Kabaddi League. The league is stepping into its 10th edition as the new season will get underway from 2nd December 2023.
Started as a eight-team league, the tournament has completely transformed the landscape of the sport. It is now the second-most viewed league in India and with its popularity, currently 12 teams feature in it.
Patna Pirates is the most successful team with three titles. Meanwhile Jaipur Pink Panthers, who are the defending champions, won their second title last year. Several teams are yet to get their hands on the trophy. InsideSport takes a look at the teams that have not yet won the title in the league so far.
Telugu Titans
Telugu Titans have been part of the league since its inception. Despite the presence of some star players like Rahul Chaudhari and Siddharth Desai over the years, the team failed to win even a single title so far.
The team made it to the semifinal only twice in the history of the league. In the last seven years, the team even failed to reach the semifinal stage. Worst of it all, the Titans finished at the bottom of the points table for the last two years.
This year, the team bought star raider Pawan Sehrawat for a record-fee of 2.6 crores. Under his leadership, the Titans look to put on a good show and aim to end the title drought.
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Puneri Paltan
Puneri Paltan is the only other team yet to win a title after being part pf the league since the inaugural edition. The Paltan came very close to winning it last year. However they finished as runner-up after losing the final to Jaipur Pink Panthers.
It is now their best-ever finish in the league. Last year, they were led by the experienced Fazel Atrachali. He has been released from the team ahead of this season. Young Aslam Imandar will be the team’s new captain and the young team will look to finally go all the way this time.
Also Read: PKL 2023 Preview: Gujarat Giants vsTelugu Titans, U Mumba vs UP Yoddhas headline Day 1
Tamil Thalaivas
Tamil Thalaivas made their debut in the Pro Kabaddi League in 2017. In the first four seasons, the team did not even manage to qualify for the playoffs.
Last year there was a dramatic turnaround as under coach Asian Kumar, the team gave a terrific comeback and went all the way to the semifinal. The Thalaivas managed to retain the core of the squad from last year and approach the new season with new-found confidence.
UP Yoddhas
UP Yoddhas have been one of the most consistent side in PKL. Like the Tamil Thalaivas, UP Yoddhas also made its debut in the league in the fifth edition.
However unlike the Thalaivas, UP Yoddhas have reached the playoffs in every edition. Despite such a consistent performance, a PKL title still eludes them. In the last edition, they finished fourth on the points table.
The Yoddhas have one of the most settled line-ups with players like Pardeep Narwal, Nitesh Kumar, Surinder Gill and Sumit. Pardeep Narwal has won titles with Patna Pirates. He will have to take the team forward as the Yoddhas look to finally end the wait for the title.
Gujarat Giants
Gujarat Giants were added to the league in 2017. Both in 2017 and 2018 the team made successfully reached the final but finished as runners-up. In 2017, Fazel Atrachali was the captain of the side.
The Iranian has now been picked up once again and will be leading the side this year. Fazel led Puneri Paltan to the final as well last year and he now hopes to add a title to his name as skipper by leading the Gujarat Giants.
Haryana Steelers
Haryana Steelers were also one of the teams added to the league in the fifth edition. The team so far has been inconsistent in the league and is yet to get their hands on the PKL trophy.
In the last two editions, the team missed the playoffs by a whisker finishing at the seventh position on the points table. Out of the five seasons, the Steelers made it to the playoffs only twice.
The Steelers have made a complete revamp ahead of the upcoming edition. Star raiders like Siddharth Desai and Chandran Ranjith have been added to the team as they eye turnaround.
