Pro Kabaddi League: Telugu Titans Name Iranian Meraj Shaykh as Skipper
Meraj Shaykh will be the first overseas players to captain a team in the Pro Kabaddi League as Telugu Titans aim for better luck on home turf Hyderabad
As Hyderabad gets ready to host the second half of the Pro Kabaddi League from Tuesday, the Telugu Titans, who are second in the points table, have the best chance to clinch a semi-final berth. Iranian Meraj Shaykh will lead the Titans in the second half of the season. Titans play their opening match against Jaipur Pink Panthers. (U Mumba Unstoppable so far)
Titans will clash against Bengal Warriors, Patna Pirates and Puneri Paltan on the following days. U Mumba, undefeated in seven matches, are leading the points table.
For Telugu Titans, who are on 26 points, they need to make a good start. They have convincingly beaten the Panthers in the first leg and shouldn't find the going tough against them.
The hosts are well equipped despite their star raider Rahul Chaudhari's lack of form. They have been well-served in the raiding department by new-find Prashant Kumar Rai. Sukesh Hegde has performed consistently in attack.
Meraj Shaykh should give the new a fresh boost. Srinivas Sreeramaneni, owner of the Telugu Titans said, "Meraj is unarguably one of the most experienced players of the team. With the virtue of his skill and seniority, he will be able to utilize all the the youngsters in the team to their maximum potential. Telugu Titans are not about their individual stars but are about a team coming together to give each game their best shot."
If the Titans are able to pull off at least three wins, they will be able to consolidate their claims for a play-off berth they narrowly missed after losing to Bengaluru Bulls last year.
U Mumba will be trying to maintain their winning run. Two wins in Hyderabad should pave their way to the semis. Defending champions Jaipur are sixth and a couple of wins are extremely necessary for them to stay in the race although the task seems difficult.
The team from the East, the Warriors have their work cut out. They face the Titans and Bulls and that is an uphill task for them. With a tally of just 11 points the Warriors are in a tight situation. Puneri Paltan with 10 points have to work miracles to keep their hopes alive.