PKL 2017 | Bengal Warriors : Preview, Player List, Fixtures, Live Streaming
Bengal Warriors are a Kolkata-based franchise which was originally owned by the Future Group and Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar recently became the co-owner of the team. However, the team has struggled to make a mark in the League and failed to put up a good show.
Bengal Warriors are one of the eight teams that have been a part of the Pro Kabaddi League since its inception. The team have never made it to the finals of the tournament in the past four seasons and with four new teams, the task of making it to their first ever final has become even more difficult.
Last Season Finish:
Bengal Warriors' record in the Pro Kabaddi League isn't one which they can boast about. The team finished seventh out of the eight teams that featured in the tournament in the inaugural season and improved marginally to finish sixth in the second edition of the competition. The Kolkata-based franchise
Bengal Warriors at the 2017 PKL Auction :
Bengal Warriors had to release stalwart defenders in Nilesh Shinde, Vishal Mane and Girish Ernak and retained star raider South Korea's Jang Kun Lee. Warriors roped in star defender Surjeet Singh to strengthen their defense for a hefty 73 lakhs making him the costliest defender in this season's auction. The next biggest buy for the Bengal team came in the form of raider Maninder Singh who was bought for Rs 45 lakhs owing to his dazzling first season with the Jaipur Pink Panthers. Deepak Narwal was bagged by the Warriors for 25.5 lakhs to further strengthen their attack.
Squad for PKL Season V:
Raiders: Jang Kun Lee, Maninder Singh, Deepak Narwal, Vinod Kumar, Virender Wazir Singh, Kuldeep, Anil Kumar
Defenders: Young Chang Ko, Ameares Mondal, Sandeep Malik, Surjeet Singh, Virender Singh, Rahul Kumar, Shashank Wankhede
All-rounders:
Key Players:
Surjeet Singh: Surjeet's strong build has deceived many in the competition when the 26-year old has shown his swiftness on the mat bringing down the best of the raiders in the tournament. The versatile defender has played as both on the left and right cover and can position himself according to the team's needs. Singh kicked off his PKL career with Puneri Paltan in the third season collecting 48 tackle points which included five High 5s. However, he could not replicate the form with U Mumba in the fourth season owing to the absence of strong defenders in the lineup but judging by his records he surely will be one of the key players in the team.
Jang Kun Lee: The South Korean sensation has been consistently brilliant with the lackluster Bengal Warriors and has become a popular figure in the Pro Kabaddi League. Lee has been a part of all the editions of the tournament. The 24-year old has scored 262 points for his team and will continue to spearhead the Warriors' raids.
Maninder Singh: A one-season wonder Singh spearheaded the Jaipur Pink Panthers raids in the first season accumulating 130 raid points and 137 total points in his only stint in PKL. Singh has returned to the league and will don the Bengal Warriors jersey and is expected to recreate the same form to help the Bengal Warriors in their bid to win their first ever title.
Strengths:
The new and improved Bengal Warriors seem a perfectly balanced side with a perfect blend of experienced veterans and youth. The raiding unit comprises Jang Kun Lee alongside Maninder Singh and Deepak Narwal who have enough experience and talent to lead the attack and score points for the team. The
Apart from that, Jaagdeesha KK will coach the Bengal team who previously featured in the gold medal winning Indian team at the 2002 Asian Games. The 1975-born veteran played the PKL in the very first season but did not get many opportunities to showcase his talent with the Jaipur Pink Panthers and will now return to the league as a coach with a vast amount of experience in the game. KK's guidance will come in handy to the team who have lacked ideas in the past.
Weaknesses:
The Bengal team looks to be a perfect squad on paper but that was the case with the previous team too who had a vast amount of talent and experience but failed to utilize it to their fullest slumping to the last four in the first, second and the fourth seasons. The new and improved Warriors will look to make it to the playoff for the second time in PKL history and for that to be possible everyone will have to be at their best and in full synchronization.
You can watch the live stream here.
Fixtures:
2nd August 21:00
6th August 20:00 Bengal Warriors vs UP Yoddha
9th August 20:00 Bengaluru Bulls vs Bengal Warriors
15th August 20:00 Bengal Warriors vs Puneri Paltan
17th August 21:00 Gujarat Fortunegiants vs Bengal Warriors
22nd August 21:00 UP Yoddha vs Bengal Warriors
25th August 21:00 Bengal Warriors vs Patna Pirates
27th August 20:00 Bengal Warriors vs Bengaluru Bulls
1st September 20:00 Bengal Warriors vs Patna Pirates
2nd September 21:00 Bengal Warriors vs UP Yoddha
3rd September 21:00 Bengal Warriors vs Tamil Thalivas
5th September 21:00 Bengal Warriors vs Haryana Steelers
6th September 21:00 Bengal Warriors vs U Mumba
7th September 21:00 Bengal Warriors vs Dabang Delhi
12th September 20:00 Bengal Warriors vs Telugu Titans
17th September 21:00 Patna Pirates vs Bengal Warriors
23rd September 20:00 Bengaluru Bulls vs Bengal Warriors
24th September 20:00 Bengal Warriors vs Tamil Thalivas
1st October 20:00 Jaipur Pink Panthers vs Bengal Warriors
13th October 21:00 Bengal Warriors vs Tamil Thalivas
20th October 20:00 Telugu Titans vs Bengal Warriors
How many all-outs will U Mumba inflict on Haryana?
Presenting Nostragamus, the first ever prediction game that covers the Pro Kabaddi League. Play the PKL 2017 challenge and win cash prizes daily!
Download the app for FREE and get Rs.20 joining BONUS. Join 30,000 other users who win cash by playing NostraGamus. Click here to download the app for FREE on android!