PKL 2019 | 5Ws and 1H – Bengal Warriors

07/15/2019

Bengal Warriors have been there in the PKL from the very first edition but they are yet to qualify for the finals. It was dream run for them last time around as they managed to make an entry in the playoffs and this year will want to go a couple of steps further in the seventh season.

How they performed in the previous season?

After dry patches in first five seasons of the league, Bengal Warriors had some hope of laying their hands on the coveted trophy last year. With some good show by Maninder Singh in the raiding department and collective efforts at home, the team managed to make it to the playoffs. Mahesh Goud, Ravinder Kumawat, and Korean star Jang Kun Lee ably supported Maninder. Although the defence had the likes of Surjeet Singh, Shrikant Tewthia, and Baldev Singh, none could come into the team’s rescue in the playoffs.

After finishing second on the table in Zone B with 69 points and 12 wins, the Kolkata-based franchise went down 39-28 to Dabang Delhi KC in the eliminator to get knocked out of the tournament. Despite making it to the playoffs, the Jagdish Kumble-led squad’s performance was not at all up to the mark in the previous season of the league.

Who are the star players for the Warriors?

After deciding not to pick Jang Kun Lee for the seventh season of the league, Bengal Warriors don’t have a star as such in the team. But, as discussed earlier, Maninder’s raiding prowess had a great impact on their success in the previous season and the team will want some good show from the youngster this time as well.

Right cover defender Jeeva Kumar will be the player to watch out for in the Bengal defence and he will have Baldev Singh, who played for the Warriors, as his partner at the right corner position. The management must be hoping the duo’s experience to come in handy for the team this year.

Bengal Warriors Squad:

Baldev Singh, Maninder Singh, Adarsh T, Ravindra Kumawat, Sahil, Mohammad Nabibakhsh, K Prapanjan, Jeeva Kumar, Rinku Narwal, Sukesh Hegde, Amit Kumar, Rakesh Narwal, Mohammad Taghi, Amir Santosh Dhumal, AR Avinash, Vijin Thangadurai, Bhuvneshwar Gaur, Viraj Vishnu Landge, Dharmendra Singh

SportsCafe’s starting 7:

Raider – Maninder Singh

Left in – Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh

Right in – K Prapanjan

Left corner – Rinku Narwal/Adarsh T

Right corner – Baldev Singh

Left cover – Viraj Vishnu Langade

Right cover – Jeeva Kumar

What is their strength?

Bengal Warriors will want to start things fresh this season and for that, they have brought in BC Ramesh as their new coach in 2019. Before going into the auctions, the Warriors opted to retain Maninder Singh in the Elite Player Retention and with players like K Prapanjan from Gujarat and Iranian raider Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh in the team, the raiding unit looks the strongest part for the Warriors this year. Prapanjan, brought in for a huge sum of Rs 55.5 lakhs, was the second-choice raider for Gujarat Fortunegiants and is expected to take up the same role in Bengal. Nabibakhsh also attracted a whopping 77.75 lakh rupees at the auction and the team might get hugely benefitted by the two after deciding to leave aside Lee for the upcoming tournament. The raiding trio will be supported by Sukesh Hegde who is also in the squad after a dismal season with Tamil Thalaivas in the sixth edition.

Where they might fall behind other teams?

Bengal Warriors might fall behind others in this World Cup only because of their defence. Although they will have the experienced duo of Jeeva and Baldev at the right-hand side of the mat, both of them couldn’t live up to the expectations last time around. Baldev was with the Warriors while Jeeva was not in the best of his form playing for the UP Yoddha. Jeeva’s advancing age is a concern for the team considering the length of the tournament as well.

At the left side of the mat, the Bengal team will have to take a call to select any one between Adarsh T and Rinku Narwal for the corner position. Both of them are young and had played in only few matches in the previous edition. Rinku took to the mat on 15 occasions for Puneri Paltan in 2018 and Adarsh played only in 10 matches. It will be a choice to be made by the management in between two inexperienced players for the crucial position. Viraj Vishnu Landge, who is the first choice defender for the cover position, is also new to the league. He had played seven matches for Dabang Delhi and scored only six points for them. The lack of a trusted name in the defence might haunt the Kolkata-based side in the upcoming tournament.

Why one should support Bengal Warriors?

West Bengal had never associated itself with the traditional sport of kabaddi. Football has always been the first love for the people of West Bengal and the Bengali community all around the world. But the sport of kabaddi and the PKL matches came as a big surprise for many as Bengal Warriors received amazing support from the people of the City of Joy. They made Lee their own and the Korean received great love and support from the crowd.

Bengal Warriors are one of the popular teams in the league now and although Lee is not in the side anymore, the crowd will want to come in large numbers to see the team perform on the mat in Kolkata and all other venues in the tournament. With the hope of clinching the title, the sport-crazy state of Bengal will want to find out a new star this year and treat him with the famous “Sandesh” from Kolkata.

When they will play their games?

Bengal Warriors will start their campaign in the seventh edition of the league from the game against UP Yoddha in Hyderabad. All eyes will be on the side when they will take on the neighbouring team from Patna in the two East Indian derbies on August 22 and October 6. As per the new format of the league, the Warriors will play their four home games against Gujarat Fortunegiants, Puneri Paltan, U Mumba and Bengaluru Bulls at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Indoor Stadium in Kolkata on September 7, 8, 11 and 13 respectively.

Schedule:

July 24 vs UP Yoddha in Hyderabad

July 27 vs Jaipur Pink Panthers in Mumbai

July 29 vs Puneri Paltan in Mumbai

August 3 vs Bengaluru Bulls in Patna

August 9 vs U Mumba in Patna

August 12 vs Telugu Titans in Hyderabad

August 14 vs Gujarat Fortunegiants in Ahmedabad

August 17 vs Dabang Delhi in Chennai

August 22 vs Patna Pirates in Chennai

August 26 vs Haryana Steelers in Delhi

August 29 vs Tamil Thalaivas in Delhi

September 1 vs UP Yoddha in Bengaluru

September 7 vs Gujarat Fortunegiants in Kolkata

September 8 vs Puneri Paltan in Kolkata

September 11 vs U Mumba in Kolkata

September 13 vs Bengaluru Bulls in Kolkata

September 19 vs Haryana Steelers in Pune

September 22 vs Jaipur Pink Panthers in Jaipur

September 25 vs Telugu Titans in Jaipur

September 30 vs Dabang Delhi in Panchkula

October 6 vs Patna Pirates in Greater Noida

October 9 vs Tamil Thalaivas in Greater Noida