After finishing as runners-up in the previous season of Pro Kabaddi League, Haryana Steelers will be eager to go one step further and win the title in PKL 11. The Steelers have made it to the playoffs in three of the six PKL seasons in which they have competed and they will back themselves for another playoffs appearance, this time around. (More Sports News)
Manpreet Singh, who has won the PKL title with Patna Pirates as a player, will continue as head coach of Haryana in the upcoming campaign. He will be hoping to finally lift the PKL title as a head coach after suffering heartbreaks in three PKL finals - twice with Gujarat Giants and one with the Steelers last season.
Despite not making many purchases at the season 11 player auction, the Haryana-based franchise was still in the spotlight after its acquisition of Mohammadreza Chiyaneh for a whopping INR 2.07 crore. The Iranian all-rounder will have a big role to play for the Steelers in the upcoming campaign and with that in mind, here’s a look at their strengths and weaknesses ahead of the new season.
Strengths
The meanest defence in season 10, Haryana Steelers’ defensive prowess is no secret to the rest of the league. They had three defenders in the top 10 for tackle points last season and two of them, Rahul Sethpal and Jaideep Dahiya, will continue to be a part of their defence in the upcoming campaign.
While Sethpal was their best defender with 73 tackle points last season, Dahiya notched up 68 tackle points as well. Adding to that, the purchase of season 10 top defender Chiyaneh, who topped the tackle points charts with 99 tackle points and it is easy to see why most opposition raiders won’t look forward to going up against the Steelers’ robust and formidable defence.
Weaknesses
The Steelers’ attack will be an area of concern for the team, primarily due to their lack of well-established raiders who are capable of taking on the mantle of being the lead raider. Apart from Vinay, who scored 163 raid points for the Steelers last season, the Steelers don’t have any experienced raiders who can lead from the front.
As a result, Vinay has to raise his game and contribute more consistently in attack in the season ahead. He’s scored 372 raid points in four seasons with the Steelers and will be hoping to take his game to the next level in the new campaign. Vinay will be supported in attack by Shivam Patare, who enjoyed a good debut campaign in season 10 after scoring 116 raid points for the Steelers.
That being said, most of the attacking onus will be on Shivam and Vinay since the rest of the Steelers’ attackers aren't very experienced. Their attacking talents like Vikas Jadhav, Gnana Abishek S, Sanskar Mishra and Jayasoorya NS are yet to make their PKL debut.
Opportunities
With the Steelers’ raiding unit needing attacking options, Chiyaneh is one player who will look to rise to the occasion and contribute as a raider. Chiyaneh, in fact, gave us glimpses of his attacking ability last season when he contributed with 27 raid points, including two Super Raids for Puneri Paltan.
The Iranian will want to add to his attacking game in season 11 and it will be interesting to see if Chiyaneh can make the most of his opportunity by making more significant contributions in attack. Furthermore, Vishal Tate is another player who the Steelers will hope can kick on and come good for them in attack after he managed 24 raid points in three games last season.
Threats
As already touched upon, the lack of experienced players could hurt Haryana’s title prospects this season. While their lack of attacking depth and experience have already been discussed, their over-reliance on their defensive trio of Sethpal, Dahiya and Chiyaneh might be a problem for the team too.
Right cover Manikandan N, right corner Ashish Gill, left corner Hardeep and Manikandan S. are yet to make their PKL debut, while Sanjay has played only six times in PKL. An injury or loss in form for Sethpal, Dahiya and Chiyaneh could thrust the Steelers’ inexperienced defenders into the limelight and it remains to be seen whether they can rise to the challenge.
