Manjeet Chillar, Thakur to form formidable duo for Thalaivas

All the other franchises sprung a surprise by refusing to bid anything more than the base amount. Right cover defender Darshan J will once again ply his trade with the Chennai-based outfit after he was obtained with the “Final Bid Match” option for Rs 28 lakh, matching the bid made by southern rival Bengaluru Bulls. 

Sukesh Hegde, who captained Gujarat Fortunegiants for most part of the previous season, was another valuable pick by TT, getting him for an amount of Rs 28 lakh. Having already retained the trio of Ajay Thakur, C Arun and Amit Hooda, the franchise is now in a position where it only needs to bolster its defence after it bought Manjeet and Sukesh at bargain prices. 

The likes of Dharmaraj Cheralathan, Joginder Narwal, Kuldeep Singh and Rohit Rana are some of the Category B defenders who could fit into the Thalaivas’ plan. In the previous edition, TT had lost a few close encounters because of its immature defending in the final moments. It will also be interesting to see how new head coach Edachery Bhaskaran picks the remainder of the squad as a number of local (Tamil Nadu) players are up for grabs on the second day of the auction. 

Tamil Nadu player K Prapanjan was purchased by the Gujarat Fortunegiants for Rs 38 lacs. 

The change in the coaching staff might be one reason for retaining the talismanic raider. He had played second fiddle to experienced campaigner Ajay Thakur in the Thalaivas team last year. Jeeva Kumar was picked up by UP Yoddha for a decent amount of Rs 45 lakh. The veteran defender is versatile and can play in both cover positions.