New Delhi, Aug 13 (IANS) Patna Pirates have named their captain and vice captain in the form of Ankit Jaglan and Deepak Singh as they look forward to kicking off their campaign on September 1 against the UP Yoddhas.

Jaglan, who has been with Patna Pirates for the 3rd year running, is the highest paid all-rounder and has proven his mettle with his speed and agility including a high tackle percentage rate last season.

“I am thankful for the opportunity to lead the Patna Pirates and the aim is to compete at the highest level for the entire squad. Working with coach Anup Kumar has been such a great learning curve and his experience and coaching style will only take this squad further. There is no doubt that we are aiming for the ultimate prize and the entire squad knows their role and are looking forward to executing to take Patna Pirates all the way,” Jaglan said.

Deepak, the star defender for the squad, has accumulated a total of 282 tackles, showcasing his ability to disrupt the opposing team’s raiders effectively and is crucial to the team’s impenetrable defense.

Patna Pirates is looking for its fourth championship title in the upcoming season to cement their position as by far the best franchise throughout the Pro Kabaddi League.

Having come a very close second in the last edition of the PKL, the Anup Kumar led Patna Pirates are currently training as part of their pre-season camp and are gunning to start the season strong.

“Patna Pirates has always showcased a brand of kabaddi that the fans love and appreciate over the years. This season will be no different under the leadership of Ankit, Deepak and Anup Kumar. We were agonizingly close to our fourth championship win and we will kick off the season with our eye on that singular goal,” said Pawan Rana, CEO, Patna Pirates.

Patna Pirates has a formidable line up with Ankit and Deepak at the helm, ably supported by Ayan Lohchab, Navdeep, Sudhakar Maruthamuthu, Deepak Jaglan, Hamid Mirzaei Nader, Sanket Sawant, Sombir, Amin Ghorbani, Maninder Singh, Ankit Kumar, Mandeep Kumar, Milan Dahiya, Sahil Patil, Ashish Birwal, Balaji, Jadhav Shahaji and Saurabh Narwal.

–IANS

bc/