Pro Kabaddi League: What has worked for Bengaluru Bulls so far?

Bengaluru Bulls were not among the top picks to win the title when the ninth season of the VIVO Pro Kabaddi League started. However, they have emerged as one of the top teams of season nine since then.

Season six champions Bengaluru Bulls have won ten of their 16 games of season nine. Let's take a look at what worked for them to become one of the most successful teams of the VIVO Pro Kabaddi League season nine:

Retaining the defensive core

Bengaluru Bulls did an excellent job by retaining their defensive core from season eight. They kept Mayur Kadam, Saurabh Nandal, Aman Antil, and Mahender Singh, all of whom already had the experience of working with each other.

Bharat's Performance

Bharat started his Pro Kabaddi League journey with Bengaluru Bulls last year, racking up 39 raid points from 11 games in his inaugural season. He was retained for season nine by Bengaluru Bulls for INR 20 lakhs.

The 24-year-old was a surprise package and had his breakout season this year. He is currently the most successful raider of season nine and has racked up 186 raiding points from 150 raids, including 11 Super 10s. 

Bharat played a crucial role in several of the Bengaluru Bull's victories, scoring 18 and 16 points in their recent matches against Gujrat Giants and Telugu Titans.

New Leadership

Bengaluru Bulls named veteran defender Mahender Singh as the new captain of the squad after leaving out Pawan Sehrawat. He has been a part of the Bengaluru Bulls squad for four seasons and knows the team inside and out. The Bengaluru Bulls also appointed Saurabh Nandal as the new vice-captain before the beginning of the season.

The changes by the new leadership in the player tactics and environment of the squad have unlocked their fortunes.

Bengaluru Bulls are looking to replicate the success of season six and are keen to claim their second Pro Kabaddi League title in season nine. However, they still lack a balanced raiding strategy as they are too dependent on Bharat and Vikash Kandola.

Bengaluru Bulls still have eight league-stage matches left and will easily qualify for the playoffs if they can carry on with their winning momentum.