PKL 2025: Coaches back youth, defence, and team unity ahead of new season

As PKL 2025 nears, team coaches and experts highlight the rise of young talent, strong defensive strategies, and team chemistry. Coaches B.C. Ramesh, Manpreet Singh, and Ajay Thakur are focused on building balanced squads for a competitive season.

Hyderabad: “PKL has brought stability to the lives of young players. Coaches like BC Ramesh and Manpreet Singh are betting big on youth, and the game has become faster and more aggressive,” said Rishank Devadiga Jiostar Expert.

“Players like Devank (Dalal), who was impressive last season, are being rewarded. PKL has provided financial security—most Kabaddi players come from middle-class families, and now they’re getting name, fame, and fan support,” he said . “This is all thanks to PKL and broadcasters like JioStar who are building the league’s visibility,” he added.

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“I’d name three—Haryana Steelers, who played well and retained strong defenders; Puneri Paltan, with key additions like Sachin; and Tamil Thalaivas, who also look well-settled,” he said.

” Last season saw defence dominance—like Shadloui’s brilliance—but this year, raiders like Devank and Ashu Malik will make headlines. It’s time for the raiders to reclaim the spotlight,” Rishank said.

Bengaluru Bulls Head Coach BC Ramesh shared his motivation for re-joining Bengaluru Bulls.

“I was with Bengaluru Bulls in Season 6, then moved to Puneri Paltan in Seasons 9 and 10, where we reached the finals and became champion. I had been in talks with Bengaluru Bulls since last season and always wanted to come back,” he said.

” Being a native of Bengaluru, this team holds a special place for me. The fan support in Karnataka and beyond is immense. It’s a challenging season ahead, but we have a strong squad of young players and I’ll ensure they are well-prepared,” he said.

“From experience, I believe 50% of a match is won through defence. That’s why we’ve focused heavily on strengthening that area. Our defence is solid across all positions—right corner, left corner, right cover, left cover,” Ramesh said.

” On the raiding front, players like Naveen, Mohit, Aslam, Pawan, and Pardeep have come through New Young Players Program (NYP) and are showing great promise. I was looking for a left raider, which is hard to find, and Akash Shinde stood out,” he said.

” I’ve been following him for 2–3 seasons—he’s talented. We also found Aashish Malik and Ganesh during the NYP trials in Bangalore. An Iranian right raider from last season will also add value. Overall, I expect a good team performance,” Ramesh said.

Haryana Steelers Head Coach Manpreet Singh highlighted the balance his team has achieved in both raiding and defence:

” We’ve added two promising young defenders to that mix. The overall balance of our team is very good. Young players are performing with energy and talent. Last season, we won 18 out of 22 matches, and we aim to maintain that momentum,” Manpreet said.

Puneri Paltan Head Coach Ajay Thakur commented on his team unity and challenges.

“Puneri Paltan has a talented squad, many of them champions. But performance depends on the hard work put in over the last year. My focus is on building unity. Often, when players have strong individual abilities, there can be clashes. My job is to eliminate that and make them function as one team,” he said.