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Tamil Thalaivas have named Dharmaraj Cheralathan as their new strategy coach for the 11th edition of the Pro Kabaddi League. Cheralathan, who is a former PKL-winning captain, will aim to end the Thalaivas' championship drought in the 2024/25 season.
The Thalaivas debuted in the fifth edition of the PKL. Despite signing some of the biggest names in kabaddi history like Pawan Sehrawat, Ajay Thakur, Manjeet Chhillar, Sagar Rathee, Rahul Chaudhari, and Jasvir Singh, the team has never made it to the final.
Their best performance came in the ninth season, where a young squad helped them qualify for the playoffs for the first time ever. This time, new strategy coach Dharmaraj Cheralathan will be keen to guide the franchise to the championship.
Cheralathan is a veteran defender who featured in the Pro Kabaddi League as a player from Season 1 to 8. He started his journey with the Bengaluru Bulls before playing for Puneri Paltan, Patna Pirates, U Mumba, Telugu Titans, Haryana Steelers and eventually ending his career with the Jaipur Pink Panthers.
Dharmaraj Cheralathan joined the Tamil commentary panel for Pro Kabaddi season 10
After retiring from the Pro Kabaddi League, Cheralathan joined the Star Sports coverage panel as a Tamil expert for the 10th edition of the league. He regularly shared his views during the PKL 10 matches, and he was even honored by the PKL organizers before the tournament's 1000th match.
Having followed the previous season of the Pro Kabaddi League so closely, Dharmaraj Cheralathan would have a clear idea about the strengths and weaknesses of the Tamil Thalaivas team.
His first job as strategy coach will be to advise the head coach and management in picking the right players to build strong squad at the auction table and get the best out of the players to ensure that the Thalaivas win their maiden Pro Kabaddi League title in 2024/25 season.
