Puneri Paltan had a forgetful outing in the seventh season back in 2019 when they finished in 10th position with just seven victories in 22 matches. The team retained the likes of Pankaj Mohite, Sanket Sawant, Balasaheb Shahaji Jadhav, Hadi Tajik and Pawan Kumar Kadian before heading to the PKL Auction 2021.
The team spent a total of ₹4.03 crores and signed 13 players to their squad, the most by any team in this year’s PKL Auction.
In an IGTV video posted by Puneri Paltan today, Anup Kumar shared his thoughts regarding how the team has shaped up before the eighth season of PKL.
Puneri Paltan has signed a total of nine defenders, six raiders and three all-rounders in their line-up this year. Despite boasting star-studded players like PO Surjeet Singh, Girish Ernak, and Shubham Shinde in the line-up, the lack of coordination as a defensive unit was a major reason behind their unsuccessful campaign in PKL 7.
Coach Anup Kumar feels confident that the team has built a strong defense with a perfect blend of youth and experience for the upcoming season.
Rahul Chaudhari at ₹40 lakhs was a steal for Puneri Paltan: Anup Kumar
‘Showman’ Rahul Chaudhari was among the top-names heading into PKL Auction 2021 after his former franchise Tamil Thalaivas parted ways with him. Fans were expecting Rahul Chaudhari to earn a reputable sum this time as well.
However, teams didn’t show much interest in Rahul Chaudhari as Puneri Paltan raised the paddle to snap him at an amount of just ₹40 lakhs. Chaudhari, a seasoned raider with over 1,000 points in the PKL, was a steal for the Pune-based franchise for PKL 8.
Speaking about the player, Anup Kumar said:
On the third and final day of the auction, Puneri Paltan exercised their Final Bid Match (FBM) card on their star raider Nitin Tomar for yet another season when the team signed him for ₹61 lakhs. Anup Kumar shared his thoughts on retaining Nitin Tomar and said:
It would be intriguing to see how Anup Kumar guides the revamped Puneri Paltan in the upcoming season of the PKL.
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