Udaya Kumar returns as Tamil Thalaivas head coach for PKL 11, Dharmaraj Cheralathan named strategy coach

The Tamil Thalaivas have announced J Udaya Kumar as their new head coach for the 11th season of Pro Kabaddi League. They have also appointed Dharmaraj Cheralathan as their strategy coach.

Kumar, who has served as India's national coach in the past, will return to the Thalaivas after he took a break from coaching in season nine due to personal reasons.

Ashan Kumar took over the reins at the Thalaivas after Udaya stepped away. The Thalaivas qualified for the playoffs for the first time under Ashan's guidance in season nine, but they failed to do so in season 10.

While the Chennai-based franchise performed decently under Ashan's coaching, it seems like the team owners wanted a change in the coaching staff.

"Agent Udaya Kumar on board as our Chief Coach for Season-XI! Welcome back to the den, sir! Agent Cheralathan on board as our Strategy Coach for Season-XI! Welcome home, sir!" Tamil Thalaivas wrote on Instagram.

Can Tamil Thalaivas win their 1st Pro Kabaddi championship under Udaya Kumar and Dharmaraj Cheralathan's guidance?

Kumar has a ton of PKL experience under his belt, but in his first stint as the Tamil Thalaivas coach, the team could not perform well. It will be interesting to see how the franchise performs now that the former coach has returned to the helm once again.

Meanwhile, for the first time in his career, Dharmaraj Cheralathan will serve as a strategy coach. He was a player in the Pro Kabaddi League for the first nine seasons. Cheralathan never played for the Tamil Thalaivas, but he would have observed the team closely during his commentary stint with the Star Sports Tamil team in PKL 10.

Tamil Thalaivas fans will expect the duo of Kumar and Cheralathan to form a strong squad and lead the team to glory this season. The PKL Auction is expected to take place soon.