The PKL Auction is done and dusted. From August 29 to 31, the 12 franchises of the Pro Kabaddi League made some big signings. Puneri Paltan grabbed the headlines as they signed The Showman of PKL, Rahul Chaudhari. Apart from him, the Pune-based franchise also bought Nitin Tomar back using the Final Bid Match card.
Puneri Paltan is one of the three teams that have been part of the Pro Kabaddi League since the season one. However, they have never been the champions. The Pune-based franchise named former Indian kabaddi team captain Anup Kumar as their new coach in the previous season. Anup has formed a strong squad for PKL 2021.
We look forward to a memorable season ahead: Anup Kumar speaks after PKL Auction
After the PKL Auction ended, Puneri Paltan released a video on their Instagram handle. In the video, the coach of the team, Anup Kumar reflected on the squad of the franchise. Here’s what he had to say:
“We have a defensive unit. We were aiming to build ahead of the auction. We did miss out on a couple of raiders that were on our radar. However, the offense looks good as well. With a perfect balance of youth and experience in our squad, we look forward to a memorable season ahead,” said Anup Kumar.
Who is the most expensive player in Puneri Paltan this year?
Anup Kumar signed the likes of Rahul Chaudhari, Baldev Singh, Vishal Bhardwaj and Nitin Tomar at PKL Auction 2021. The most expensive pick was raider Nitin Tomar, who was bought back for INR 61 lakh via the Final Bid Match card. Surprisingly, Puneri Paltan managed to sign Rahul Chaudhari for INR 40 lakh, while corner defenders Baldev Singh and Vishal Bhardwaj received contracts worth INR 60 lakh. Another big signing made by Pune was defender Sombir who earned a contract of INR 34.5 lakh. Here is Puneri Paltan’s full squad for PKL 2021.
Puneri Paltan Full Squad after PKL Auction 2021: Nitin Tomar, Sourav Kumar, Abhishek Nadarajan, Vishwas S, Karamvir, Sombir, E Subash, Rahul Chaudhari, Baldev Singh, Pankaj Mohite, Sanket Sawant, Vishal Bhardwaj, Victor Obiero, Mohit Goyat, Govind Gurjar, Pawan Kadian, Hadi Tajik, Balasaheb Jadhav.
