Ahead of the Pro Kabaddi League 2018 (PKL 2018) auction, Puneri Paltan retained some of the top players like raiders Rajesh Mondal and GB More, defender Girish Ernak and all-rounder Sandeep Narwal. And at the auction Puneri Paltan strengthened their squad by adding raider Nitin Tomar. Nitin, who last season became the highest-paid player after UP Yoddha bought him for Rs 93 lakh, was snapped by the franchise for INR 115 lakh this time around. However, Pune’s captain last season, Deepak Niwas Hooda, went to Jaipur Pink Panthers at the auction. Jaipur Pink Panthers Team in Pro Kabaddi League 2018.

From the New Young Players (NYP) category, the Pune-based franchise added raiders Monu and Vikash Khatri, defender Rinku Narwal and all-rounder Amit Kumar. The team wears a balanced look of experienced and young players as they set on a journey to clinch their maiden PKL title. Pune have also named Ashan Kumar as their new head coach for the upcoming season.

Pune have never won the PKL title. They finished last on the points table in the first two editions. However, they did well to end on third place in the subsequent two seasons. Last year, Pune finished second in Zone A after winning 15 out of 22 matches and qualified for the playoffs. They won the first Eliminator over UP Yoddha but lost to eventual champions Patna Pirates in the third Eliminator. Haryana Steelers Team in Pro Kabaddi League 2018.

Puneri Paltan Squad for PKL Season 6:

Raiders: Rajesh Mondal (Retained INR 24.55 lakh), More GB (Retained INR 13.57 lakh), Nitin Tomar (INR 115 lakh), Deepak Kumar Dahiya (INR 12 lakh), Parvesh (INR 8 lakh), Akshay Jadhav (INR 8 lakh), Monu (INR 6.6 lakh), Vikash Kh)atri (INR 6.6 lakh). Defenders: Girish Maruti Ernak (Retained INR 49.10 lakh), Vinod Kumar (INR 20.2 lakh), Ravi Kumar (INR 16 lakh), Rinku Narwal (INR 6.6 lakh), Bajrang (INR 5 lakh). All-rounders: Sandeep Narwal (Retained INR 72.60 lakh), Amit Kumar (INR 6.6 lakh), Takamitsu Kono (INR 8 lakh) and Sanjay Shreshta (INR 8 lakh).

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 13, 2018 02:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).