The 2024 Pro Kabaddi League Auction recently got over and all 12 teams are now set to compete in the upcoming edition of the PKL. Last year’s defending champions Puneri Paltan though, had been the talk of the town coming into the recently concluded auctions and for a very plausible reason. That reason is the fact that they did not retain Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh.
Ever since joining the Pro Kabaddi League, Shadloui has been one of the best, if not the best defenders in the league. In only his first season in the PKL, he became the defender with the highest tackle points as he came close to lifting the title with the Patna Pirates in season 8.
Then in Season 9, he ranked 2nd in the highest tackle points won and secured a move to Puneri Paltan in the following Auction. In his first year with the Pune franchise, Mohammad Reza Shadloui showed the world just how good he can be by again scoring the highest number of tackle points in PKL 10, en route to winning the League with Puneri Paltan.
The sheer dominance the Puneri side showcased last season was something never seen before with many fans labelling it as the Greatest Team in PKL’s history. Puneri Paltan were not just winning games, they were demolishing opposition by margins of 15-20 points as if it were nothing. And Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh was a huge part of Puneri Paltan’s success.
So when Pune did not retain Shadloui, the Kabaddi world went nuts. It was expected that they would definitely retain their rockstar, especially after the kind of season they had. Instead, they retained 12 other players making them the team with the most retentions. Maybe the FBM card was what they were aiming for but retaining 12 players meant that their remaining purse sat pretty low. So when the time came to exercise the FBM option, they couldn’t do that.
Now, with the new season coming up, Puneri Paltan won’t have the resources of the towering monster in the left corner. Instead, the Iranian powerhouse will feature in the Haryana Steelers side who faced Puneri Paltan in the finals of the PKL last season. The Steelers acquired Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh’s services for a whopping Rs 2.07 crore.
Will Shadloui’s absence be felt in Pune? Definitely, he was undoubtedly one of the most influential players in the whole league and Pune’s best player alongside captain Aslam Inamdar. But even without the big man, Pune are a very strong team with a magnificent core of young players. Shadloui though, was a player who could win you trophies singlehandedly. It will definitely be tougher than before for the Puneri Paltan.
