Pro Kabaddi 2019: Balanced Bengal Warriors ready for fresh title tilt after recent near-misses

Bengal Warriors, the kabaddi franchise from the football-loving Kolkata, found life in Pro Kabaddi hard to go by in the first two campaigns, falling short of the playoffs by quite some distance.

However, the Birthright Games and Entertainment-owned franchise sorted out their squad for the third season. Led by Nilesh Shinde, and reinvigorated by the arrival of Nitin Tomar, Warriors made their first playoff appearance. Stuttering towards the end of the campaign, they found U Mumba too hot to handle in the semi-finals.

After a disappointing fourth season where they finished bottom of the table, the Warriors led by Surjit Singh have been consistent performers, reaching the playoffs in two straight campaigns.

Having moved on from coach Jagdish Kumble, after the team failed to clear the playoff hurdle despite a good show in the group phase, the Warriors have appointed BC Ramesh at the helm for the upcoming season.

With a squad as balanced as in the past two seasons, Bengal Warriors are expected to be there or thereabout again.

Auction report

The Warriors retained their star players Maninder Singh and Baldev Singh before the auctions, thus spending a large chunk of their purse on it. However, despite the limited purse money, they made some shrewd purchases in the auctions. They surprised everyone by spending Rs 77.5 lakh on Iranian all-rounder Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh, making him the most expensive foreign recruit of the auction. They followed it up with some great bargain purchases in Jeeva Kumar for Rs 31 lakh and Rinku Narwal for Rs 20 lakh.

The team has plenty of players from the New Young Player category as well, adding a good balance to their squad.

Strengths

Bengal Warriors will rely on their raiding might to outdo opponents. With Maninder in their side, they have one of the best raiders in the league. After returning from a long injury layoff, Maninder has been among the top five raiders in the league for two straight seasons. There’s plenty of support for the Punjab raider with K Prapanjan and Sukesh Hegde in their ranks.

The Iranian duo of Mohammad Taghi and Nabibakhsh will also add to their raiding might, so will youngsters like Ravindra Kumawat.

Weaknesses

Bengal Warriors have good squad strength in all defensive areas except the left corner position. Adarsh T and Dharmendra Singh, the two left corners in the squad have little experience. While defenders Jeeva Kumar, Vijin Thangadurai, Viraj Landge have plenty of experience, none have the expertise of playing in the left corner role, a position that could prove to be a soft underbelly for the Warriors.

Coach report

BC Ramesh is one of the most respected kabaddi coaches in India. He joins the Warriors after leading Bengaluru Bulls to the title last season as assistant coach. A former India captain and an Arjuna awardee, Ramesh is known for grooming young talent. The Warriors will hope his knack to unearth top players would hold them in good stead for the upcoming season.

Player to watch out for: Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh

Making his debut in Pro Kabaddi this season, Nabibakhsh, though, is no stranger to the sport. The all-rounder was the unsung hero of Iran’s Asian Games gold-medal winning team of 2018 and displayed his all-round skills in the competition. The Warriors made him the most expensive foreign player in the auction this year. If he replicates his Asian Games performance in the Pro Kabaddi, he could be the X-factor the Warriors need to break their playoff hoodoo.

Full squad

Raiders: Bhuvneshwar Gaur, K Prapanjan, Maninder Singh, Mohammad Taghi (Iran), Rakesh Narwal, Ravindra Kumawat, Sukesh Hegde.

Defenders: Naveen Narwal, Sahil, Vijin Thangadurai, Amit, Baldev Singh, Jeeva Kumar, Viraj Langde, Adarsh T, Dharmendra Singh, Rinku Narwal.

All-rounders: Amir Dhumal, Avinash AR, Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh.