Tamil Thalaivas Pro Kabaddi Team Season 7:- The Pro Kabaddi League Season 7 is all set to start from 20th July 2019. The auction for the same was held on 8th-9th April 2019 in Mumbai where the teams went out to plug the gaps in their sides that could lead them to the Pro Kababbi League 2019 title.
Tamil Thalaivas, the Chennai-based franchise was one of the four new teams introduced back in the Pro Kabaddi League Season 5 but haven’t been able to live up to the hype ever since.
Tamil Thalaivas assembled a good team with the likes of Ajay Thakur and Manjeet Chillar in the side, but the results didn’t go as expected. Having reinforced, they would be looking to make amends and add their name in the list of winning Chennai franchises.
How did Thalaivas perform in Season 6?
Tamil Thalaivas Pro Kabaddi Team Season 7:- Tamil Thalaivas finished last in Zone B for the second time in as many years. Ajay Thakur was the only player in the team to perform as per the reputation. Thalaivas’ insipid displays on the mat saw them win only 5 out of their 22 matches in 2018.
How did the auction go for Tamil Thalaivas?
With rather poor performance in the previous 2 seasons, the Management decided on retaining only three players in their squad for Pro Kabaddi League Season 7 – Ajay Thakur, Manjeet Chhillar and Victor Onyango Obiero.
Ajay Thakur was the lone shining light for the Thalaivas last season as he accumulated 206 points. There was no other Thailavas player who got close to him. The next two top scorers from the side- Sukesh Hegde and Manjeet Chillar scored 71 and 67 points respectively. The fact puts to light the reason for the failure of the Chennai based side. Tamil Thalaivas were 10th in the list of points scored by a team (671), with only Puneri Paltan (649) and Telugu Titans (647) behind them.
The team management was looking to revamp the squad and did that smartly, procuring the services of experienced superstars such as Rahul Chaudhari, Shabeer Bappu, Mohit Chillar, and Ran Singh to add stealth in their squad.
Thalaivas spent an enormous ₹94 lakhs in purchasing the Raid Machine-Rahul Chaudhary, in whom they have got the top-scoring player of Pro Kabaddi League (876), to lend support to Ajay Thakur. The two could combine to give trouble to any side. Add all-rounder Manjeet Chillar to the mix and Thalaivas have 3 of the top 10 players in points scored across all seasons of the league.
Shabeer Bapu, whose triumphant return in the Season 2 final led U Mumba to win the Pro Kabaddi League trophy, will also be among the ranks and add more experience to an already experienced offensive line of Thalaivas.
Former Bengal Warriors’ player and Kabaddi veteran Ran Singh too has joined the Tamil Thalaivas squad for Season 7. He has scored 289 points from 99 matches in his Pro Kabaddi League career, and his experience will undoubtedly come handy for Thalaivas.
Offense wins you matches, defense wins you, leagues! Tamil Thalaivas have got a total of seven defenders in their squad for Season 7. The defensive line-up of the Thalaivas includes Mohit Chhillar, Sagar, Ajeet, Himanshu, M Abhishek, P Subramanian, and Iranian Milad Sheibak.
Thalaivas added the chain-tackle specialist, Mohit Chillar in their squad by splashing ₹45 lakhs in the auctions with a hope that he would turn back the clock coming on the back of some poor performances.
P Subramanian was one of the bright spots for Thalaivas at right cover position last year, and he will look to take his game a notch up this season with experience around him.
Tamil Thalaivas spent a massive amount of 31 lakhs for acquiring the services of an unknown commodity in right cover defender Ajeet, who a wonderful time at Khelo India Youth Games, and he will be eager to mark his presence on the mat of the Pro Kabaddi League.
What are the problems Tamil Thalaivas might face?
Tamil Thalaivas Pro Kabaddi Team Season 7:- Thailavas have put together a strong squad on paper but their most significant challenge is going to be the fitness and form of their key players. If the veteran players of the Thalaivas squad manage to stay injury-free and play to their full potential throughout the tournament, then other teams would be in for a tough run.
Coach E. Bhaskaran already has delegated the captaincy to Ajay Thakur, but he will have his man-management skills put to test in managing a host of senior players and the ego clashes that come along. If they manage to build the right spirit, there will be no stopping them.
Strengths
The Thalaivas have got acres of experience in their squad, and they also have an envious starting seven in the tournament. The raiding duties for Thalaivas will be taken up by Rahul Chaudhari and Ajay Thakur, while their defensive unit will feature the big guns like Manjeet Chhillar, Mohit Chhillar, and Ran Singh.
Weaknesses
Though the team has an envious starting 7, an evident lack of talent on the sidelines might hurt them, especially with the long duration of the League. Also, how the senior players combine together and work as a team would be a deterrent to Thalaivas’ season.
How are they looking for season 7?
Solid.
The main problem Ajay Thakur has had over the last couple of seasons has been lack of support. With the league’s top scorer Rahul Chaudhari been brought in, that should change and Thalaivas could raid teams out. Manjeet Chhillar, Mohit Chhillar, and Ran Singh combine to form a formidable defensive unit.
Players to watch out for:
Rahul Chaudhari: The running hand touch specialist Rahul Chaudhari will be the marquee raider for Tamil Thalaivas this season. Rahul is going to represent a team other than the Telugu Titans for the first time in the Pro Kabaddi League history, and he will look to continue in the same fashion. Given how big a match-winner he was for Telugu Titans, Thalaivas can sleep easy about their raiding.
Mohit Chillar: Wounded lions are the most dangerous. The right corner specialist had a season to forget with the Jaipur Pink Panthers last year. The ace defender will look to redeem himself and put behind the failures of the previous season.
Tamil Thalaivas full squad for the Pro Kabaddi League Season 7:
Raiders: Ajay Thakur, Rahul Chaudhari, Shabeer Bappu, Anand, V. Ajith Kumar, Vineet Sharma, Yashwant Bishnoi
Defenders: Ajeet, Himanshu, M. Abhishek, P. Subramanian, Mohit Chillar, Sagar, Milad Sheibak
All Rounders: Manjeet Chhillar, Victor Onyango Obiero, Ran Singh, Hemant Chauhan
Preferred Playing 7 for Tamil Thalaivas:
Mohit Chhillar (Right Corner), Rahul Chaudhari (Right In), P. Subramanian (Right cover), Ajay Thakur (Center), Manjeet Chhillar (Left Cover), Shabeer Bappu (Left In), and Ran Singh (Left Corner).
