Blending Grit with Strategy: Tamil Thalaivas’ Vision Ahead of PKL Auctions

As the Pro Kabaddi League gears up for another thrilling season, the Thalaivas are making calculated moves both on and off the mat. With a focus on continuity, youth development, and strategic reinforcement, the franchise has laid a clear foundation for the future. In this exclusive interview, the team’s management offers a behind-the-scenes look at the thought process behind player retention, the difficult decisions made, and what fans can expect as the squad heads into the high-stakes PKL auction. Here is what Mr. Shushen Vashishth, CEO of Tamil Thalaivas has to say for our questions!

1) What was the thought process behind this year’s retention strategy? 

This year’s retention strategy was focusing on several critical factors like  performance, skills, teamwork, and fitness of the players. The overarching goal was to ensure a robust and dynamic combination of players while also capitalising on the availability of high-quality players during the auction. Sagar and Nitesh have consistently demonstrated their talent as top players in the corner position past seasons. Their ability to perform under pressure and maintain a high level of consistency made them indispensable to the team. 

Moein Shafagi showed tremendous potential as a powerful left raider. His synergy with Narender Kandola is expected to create a raiding duo, adding significant strength to the team's offensive lineup. Vishal Chahal, despite getting injured last season, has potential to significantly contribute to and lead the right raiding department. Himanshu has proven to be a versatile player who can adapt to multiple positions. His willingness to step up during challenging times last season highlighted his caliber and importance to the team’s overall strategy. 

 2) Were there any tough calls made while deciding whom to retain or release? 

Releasing a player is always a difficult decision since we, as a franchise, regard each player as part of the Tamil Thalaivas family. However, such decisions are necessary to create the right team combinations and introduce fresh energy into the squad. Each season brings its own unique challenges, and Kabaddi is rapidly evolving in terms of skills, game speed, and competitiveness. These aspects create significant pressure on players to perform at the PKL level and demonstrate their abilities to both the franchise and fans. This is the true test of a player's mettle. As a franchise, we must concentrate on finding the right combinations rather than fixating on a single player.   

3) How do you assess the current core of the team going into the auction? 

We have secured our corners and left raiding department, and our current focus is to balance out the remaining positions during the auctions. Also, there has been some additions of NYP’S to the team with potential to be part of the starting 7 and our coaches are committed to enhancing. We have 14 players in our squad before going into auctions including RYP’s who have PKL experience now. It gives us opportunity to focus on players who can contribute significantly to our team for the upcoming season. 

4) What kind of players or skill sets is the team specifically targeting this auction? 

It might be best to leave this question unanswered, as each team is aware of its own strengths and weaknesses. This is all part of the auction strategy, success lies in securing the player you aim for during the auction, though that is never a guarantee. That’s the intriguing aspect of auctions. 

5) How important is balancing experience and youth in the auction strategy? 

It is unrealistic for any franchise to acquire all the top players during an auction. Hence, it is important to have the right combination of young talent and experienced players. Having experienced players on the team helps enhance the skills and match awareness of younger players, enabling them to perform better at the PKL level. 

6) Are there any specific players you're hoping to bring into the squad this season? 

I will leave this for the fans to guess. This year’s auction is going to be very interesting with lot of high profile players available for grabs in auction and every teams will be vying for them. And as I said, in auction, it's always uncertain what price a player might fetch. however, we are well prepared to get the right players to enhance the Tamil Thalaivas squad for season 12.