Captain Ajay Thakur was a lone warrior in Tamil Thalaivas’ raiding department in the last two editons.
Thalaivas signed some quality players in Pro Kabaddi 2019 auction
Mumbai:
“I wanted a superstar as my second raider. When players go beyond a certain range, we are forced to change our strategy. Rahul was affordable and hence we bought him,” said Bhaskaran once the two-day event drew to a close.
Ajay Thakur amassed 203 points across 22 appearances in Pro Kabaddi Season 6 and was ranked fifth for ‘Most raid points’. The side’s second best contributor was Sukesh Hedge, who managed 68 after all. The gulf in quality was evident and the former U Mumba chief addressed the issue with a smart move.
“After the previous season, we analysed a few things. We badly needed a raider who would combine well with Ajay. Our skipper had a great outing individually. He strained a lot last year and every time he went on to raid, it looked like a punishment. I didn’t want that to repeat,” he added.
After turning out for Dabang Delhi in the sixth edition, Shabeer Bappu will be in familiar territory at Thalaivas as he was snapped up for his base price (Rs 10 lakh). The 32-year-old raider had made waves under Bhaskaran during his U Mumba days. “One can’t be more disciplined than Shabeer. He is also a great centre and tracks backs really well, when in chain with the covers. He is fully fit and him being a left-sided raider is an advantage,” the boss was happy to rejoin hands with him.
Iranian defender Milad Sheibak was sold to Thalaivas for 10 lakh. Bhaskaran conceded the overseas recruit will be a cover to experienced corner man Mohit Chhillar. “Milad is Iran’s second choice player behind Abozar Mohajermighani (at right corner) and he would have learnt a lot playing alongside him. We already have Mohit for that position and Milad will be his back-up.”
The Pro Kabaddi 2015 title-winning coach stressed he went after candidates who are fully fit. “We have picked a good squad. Even last year, we had a good set of players, but we kept losing one or the other through injury. I tried to select the ones who have had least injuries in the past,” he told reporters. Bhaskaran also asked the local faithful to watch out for Sagar, a promising corner defender. With Ajay, Rahul, Manjeet Chhillar, Mohit and Ran making the nucleus of the starting seven, the side will hope to come out successful in the upcoming edition.
In order to reduce the burden of Ajay, head coach Edachery Bhaskaran fought tooth and nail for a top-notch raider in the Pro Kabaddi 2019 player auction here. The Tamil Nadu-based team purchased Rahul Chaudhari for Rs 94 lakh on Monday and Bhaskaran is delighted with the acquisition.
“I wanted a superstar as my second raider. When players go beyond a certain range, we are forced to change our strategy. Rahul was affordable and hence we bought him,” said Bhaskaran once the two-day event drew to a close.
Ajay Thakur amassed 203 points across 22 appearances in Pro Kabaddi Season 6 and was ranked fifth for ‘Most raid points’. The side’s second best contributor was Sukesh Hedge, who managed 68 after all. The gulf in quality was evident and the former U Mumba chief addressed the issue with a smart move.
“After the previous season, we analysed a few things. We badly needed a raider who would combine well with Ajay. Our skipper had a great outing individually. He strained a lot last year and every time he went on to raid, it looked like a punishment. I didn’t want that to repeat,” he added.
After turning out for Dabang Delhi in the sixth edition, Shabeer Bappu will be in familiar territory at Thalaivas as he was snapped up for his base price (Rs 10 lakh). The 32-year-old raider had made waves under Bhaskaran during his U Mumba days. “One can’t be more disciplined than Shabeer. He is also a great centre and tracks backs really well, when in chain with the covers. He is fully fit and him being a left-sided raider is an advantage,” the boss was happy to rejoin hands with him.
Iranian defender Milad Sheibak was sold to Thalaivas for 10 lakh. Bhaskaran conceded the overseas recruit will be a cover to experienced corner man Mohit Chhillar. “Milad is Iran’s second choice player behind Abozar Mohajermighani (at right corner) and he would have learnt a lot playing alongside him. We already have Mohit for that position and Milad will be his back-up.”
The Pro Kabaddi 2015 title-winning coach stressed he went after candidates who are fully fit. “We have picked a good squad. Even last year, we had a good set of players, but we kept losing one or the other through injury. I tried to select the ones who have had least injuries in the past,” he told reporters. Bhaskaran also asked the local faithful to watch out for Sagar, a promising corner defender. With Ajay, Rahul, Manjeet Chhillar, Mohit and Ran making the nucleus of the starting seven, the side will hope to come out successful in the upcoming edition.