The eighth season of Pro Kabaddi will start in Bengaluru on Wednesday and all the 12 teams are geared up for the tournament to be played at a single venue due to the Covid-19 situation.

There would be no spectators and the even will be played in a bio-bubble.

Former champions U Mumba and Bengaluru Bulls will face off in season eight’s first match, which will be followed by Telugu Titans’ southern derby against Tamil Thalaivas.

This time around the PKL will also see a triple header format’ – the first four days of season eight and the subsequent Saturdays will have three matches.

The opening day’s third match will see defending champions Bengal Warriors take on UP Yoddha.

Seventh season’s top-scorer Pawan Kumar Sehrawat will be the go-to man for Bengaluru Bulls as they take on a young U Mumba.

Sehrawat’s ability to fetch multi-point raids will make him the star to watch out against a relatively inexperienced U Mumba defense.

The Bulls have also added the experienced Chandran Ranjit, who impressed for Dabang Delhi in Season 7, to their raiding unit.

Pro Kabaddi Auctions: Analysing every team’s strengths and weaknesses ahead of the season

U Mumba’s hopes will be shouldered by Fazel Atrachali’s ability to manage his defence. Their own young pair of raiders Abhishek and Ajit, will be looking to improve their tally against an experienced Bulls defence of Amit Sheron, Saurabh Nandal and Mahendra Singh.

In the second game, Telugu Titans will be hinging their hopes on the experienced raiding duo of Siddharth Desai and Rohit Kumar. But waiting for them in the Tamil Thalaivas corner will be block’ master Surjeet, who has the highest number (116) of successful blocks in PKL history.

The Thalaivas have a young pool of raiders in Manjeet and Atul M along with the experienced Prapanjan.

Meanwhile, the defending champions Bengal Warriors will kick start their campaign against a much-improved UP Yoddha side.

The team from UP, who have never failed to make the playoffs since joining the league in Season 5, added PKL’s most sought-after raider Pardeep Narwal to their squad in the auctions.

The Warriors’ defense will be in for a test on the opening night, with Srikant Jadhav, an expert in do-or-die situations, and Surendra Gill backing Pardeep Narwal in the UP Yoddha raid unit.

Bengal’s defensive hope will lie on the Iranian duo of Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh and Abozar Mohajer Mighani.

The 12 captains for the teams are Maninder Singh from Bengal Warriors, Joginder Narwal from Dabang Delhi K.C, Sunil Kumar from Gujarat Giants, Pawan Sehrawat from Bengaluru Bulls, Vikash Kandola from Haryana Steelers, Deepak Hooda from Jaipur Pink Panthers, Prashant Kumar Rai for Patna Pirates, Nitin Tomar from Puneri Paltans, Surjeet Singh from Tamil Thalaivas, Rohit Kumar from Telugu Titans, Nitesh Kumar from UP Yoddha and Fazel Atrachali from U Mumba.

Ahead of the new season here’s what the captains of the teams had to say:

Maninder Singh (Bengal Warriors): “Kabaddi is an extremely tough sport that requires quick strategic thinking and presence of mind. The team has been working hard on building their fitness and working on key techniques. Stepping into Season 8 as defending champions is extremely motivating. The team is prepped and ready to put up a competitive game against every opponent.”

Joginder Narwal (Dabang Delhi K.C):  “As we step into the new season of Pro Kabaddi, we are looking forward to competitive matches as every team has put in maximum efforts possible to improve their game. With passion and new goals, we, as a team are excited for the new season and aim to take home the prestigious trophy for the first time.”

Sunil Kumar (Gujarat Giants): “Pro Kabaddi League has really helped us grow as players and improve our playing skills. The team has bonded well and as a unit we have built a strategy for this season in order to ensure that we perform to the best of our ability. I am looking forward to a successful Season 8 and make our fans proud.”

Pawan Sehrawat (Bengaluru Bulls): “We are taking all the situations into account and planning to get the best results throughout the season. Randhir sir keeps us on our toes and have been training us mentally and physically to prepare us in the best way possible to be successful this time out.”

Vikash Kandola (Haryana Steelers): “Our coach and staff are working very hard to build this season on the squad we have. They have been paying close attention to our fitness regimes, and our training sessions have been very good. Our squad has a good mix of youngsters and experienced players, and we are all ready to take on any challenge and make this season a very successful one.”

Deepak Hooda (Jaipur Pink Panthers): “We have been working rigorously for the new season, and we intend to give the best shot. With the squad having new young talent, we are sure to have a great season as we will be a surprise package. The team is mentally and physically prepared for the new season, and we aim to play well with strategic and smart thinking.”

Prashant Kumar Rai (Patna Pirates) “Our approach this season is different – we are going with a young squad and a refreshed outlook in terms of strategy and planning. Each match will have a surprise element keeping our opponent team on their toes. There is a Plan B for every situation, and we will step on the mat with full preparation. Our fans across the country will not be disappointed, and we request them to continue supporting us from the comfort of their homes.”

Nitin Tomar (Puneri Paltan): “With Season 8 commencing, there is a lot of excitement among the team members and fans alike. We are looking forward to getting back in the game with high level of competitiveness - the training is rigorous; we are working on multiple levels of techniques and skills. This year, we aim to treat fans to nail-biting matches and intend to take the trophy home.”

Rohit Kumar (Telugu Titans): “This season is very different from the previous one as there is a change in format of the league, it is a different setting that we are getting used to. We have a very well-rounded team with top talents that can make a huge impact on the games going forward. Our aim is to put our best on the mat and make our fans happy.”

Surjeet Singh (Tamil Thalaivas): “I think we have a young and talented squad this season, these youngsters have the capability to show their skill on the mat. We have been training hard under the guidance of Udaya sir and will aim to put our best on the big stage.”

Nitesh Kumar (UP Yoddha): “First of all we are excited to be finally back on the mat after a gap of two years, second, we are confident and well prepared, thanks to a long time we as a team spent during our long training session at our UP Yoddha BK Kabaddi Academy. This is going to be a challenging season, both on the mat and off it too given the new dynamics of the bubble life, but as a team we are geared to take on the challenges and give it our all for each other, fans and our home state Uttar Pradesh.”

Fazel Atrachali (UMumba): “We are opening the season with a game against Bengaluru Bulls – a strong team on paper, but we have prepared a contingency plan to tackle each player. We are going for a simple game with a strong and balanced team. We have a combination of speed and agility in our raiding, and techniques and skills in our defense – we are confident to entertain fans with nail-biting match.”

With PTI inputs