PKL Season 8 Auction Series: Defending Champions Bengal Warriors will chase for another title this season
– Saiprasad Kagne
Bengal Warriors, the defending champions had an amazing journey in PKL 7 when Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh and Maninder Singh captained on the winning side last season.
In this article, we will have a look at their auction buys in each department i.e. Raiders, Defenders and All-rounders through an analysis.
Bengal Warriors have brought 4 raiders into their squad with names like Sukesh Hedge (30 lakhs), Sumit Singh (20 lakhs), Rishank Devadiga (20 lakhs) and Akash Pikalmunde (17 lakhs). As a result, their raiding department looks strong enough to compete in the tournament along with Maninder Singh and Ravindra Ramesh Kumawat retained.
During the auction, it seemed like they went for category B and C raiders to strengthen their raiding department. They got Rishank Devadiga at his base price, which shows that their 2nd or 3rd raiding options have that valuable experience and potential to again strengthen their raiding department, they also managed to get back Sukesh Hedge at a reasonable price who had a better season last time. At last, they signed Akash Pikalmunde, a young talent at good bid.
Bengal Warriors have invested in experienced defenders with the likes of Abozar Mohajer Mighani, who was their highest bid throughout the auction besides Sukesh Hegde, 2nd highest bid for them. Cover positions for upcoming season includes Darshan J, Vijin Thangadurai and Parveen. Their defense department looks quite weak in terms of experience. Lets see, how this inexperienced defense attack faces quality raiders ahead of season 8.
Bengal Warriors have bought only 2 All-rounders in the auction i.e. Manoj Gowda and Rohit. Along with Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh their star all-rounder, it looks like a balanced all-rounder department.