Bengaluru Bulls Team 2019: Players, Records, Sponsors, Owners

The current Pro Kabaddi League Champions, Bengaluru Bulls are one of the founding members of the league. Along with their title in 2018, the Bulls have also made it to the finals in 2015 and finished 4^th in 2014. So before they start the title defense in the seventh edition of PKL, here is everything you need to know about Bengaluru Bulls:

About Bengaluru Bulls

Bengaluru Bulls Players List

History

The Bulls are one of the eight founding members of the Pro Kabaddi League and have been part of the league since 2014. Bengaluru’s logo is the face of an angry bull, representing the intensity and fierce attitude of the team during the game.

During the first-ever PKL auction in 2014, the Bulls were one of the very few teams to spend ₹10 lakh+ on three players. They bought Ajay Thakur for ₹12.2 lakh, Gurpreet Singh for ₹11.8 lakh and Manjit Chillar for ₹10.2 lakh.

Owners of Bengaluru Bulls

The Bangalore-based club is owned by WL League Private Limited, a Hyderabad based construction company. WL League is owned by Badri Narayan Choudhary Kota and Ananda Giri.

Sponsors

The 2018 Champions have managed to attract a number of brands due to their performance in the league. Abhi Paisa, the mobile app for an instant loan, is their shirt sponsor. Famous smartphone brand MI is their official smartphone sponsor. Indian kit manufacturing giants Shiv Naresh are Bengaluru’s apparel sponsors. Mumbai-based tyre manufacturers, BKT Tyres is yet another principal sponsor for the team.

O & O Academy and The Oneness Field, both famous for their philosophy and meditation courses are also the principal sponsors.

The team has also formed a partnership with Dynamic Techno Medicals as Sports Support Partner and Galaxt as merchandise partners.

Also Read | Puneri Paltan Team 2019: Players, Records, Sponsors, Owners

Coach of Bengaluru Bulls

One of the most famous names in Kabaddi coaching, Randhir Singh has been the team’s head coach since the very first season. The former Railway employee is probably the most decorated Indian Kabaddi player and coach, with 20 medals in his cabinet as a player and 20 as a coach.

Randhir is known for his grooming of young players and giving them opportunities at the top. Pardeep Narwal, the highest raid-pointer scorer in PKL’s history is one of Singh’s best findings.

Thanks to their coach, Bengaluru Bulls have always been famous for having a young and exciting squad in the league.

Performance in PKL

With one title in 2018, finalists in 2015 and a fourth-place finish in 2014, Bengaluru Bulls have been one of the most successful teams in PKL, if not the most successful.

2014

After spending big bucks in the first ever auction, Bengaluru Bulls lived up to the expectations in the 2014 season. With 8 wins in 14 games, the Bulls finished 3^rd in the group stage on 47 points. Only the eventual winners, Jaipur Pink Panthers managed more wins than the Bulls in the double round robin format.

Playing in the semi-finals of the first-ever Pro Kabaddi League, the Bulls failed to get past U Mumba, losing 23-27 in the closely fought contest. They eventually finished 4^th in the overall standings, losing 22-29 to Patna Pirates in the third-place game.

Ajay Thakur was Bengaluru’s best raider with 122 raid-points. Manjeet Chillar, with his 51 defensive points, was the best defender of the first edition of PKL.

2015

After failing to make it to the finals of the 2014 season, the Bulls were eager to get past the semi-final hurdle this time. They started in a great form once again, winning nine games in the group stages, finishing third in the table.

In one of the most nail-biting finishes of the season, the Bulls defeated Telugu Titans 39-38 in the semi-final to enter the first ever final. But the team which deprived them of the final in 2014, U Mumba, once again kept the Bulls away from the title, winning 36-30 against the first time finalists. This runner-up finish remained Bengaluru’s best finish for three more seasons.

Ajay Thakur was once again Bengaluru’s best raider with 79 points in 13 games. Dharmaraj Cheralathan won 42 points in defense.

January 2016

After two progressive seasons, the Bulls went into a slump in 2016. In the January edition of the league, the team which was in the finals just six months ago finished 7^th in the league. They won just two of the 14 games and finished with a point differential of -102.

July 2016

Not much changed for the Bulls in the next six months in the fourth edition of the PKL. They did manage to put behind a horrible 12 game losing season but finished 6^th with 5 wins and eight defeats. Thus, not qualifying for the semi-finals second time in a row.

2017

Four new teams were added to the league in 2017 and Bengaluru Bulls were drafted in Zone B. The team’s streak of failing to make it past the group stage continued as they finished 4^th in Zone B. The Bulls won eight of their 22 games and finished with 57 points. Three less than the third-placed UP Yoddha who qualified for the playoffs.

Despite their disappointing performance, Bengaluru’s raider Rohit Kumar finished the season with second most points in the league with 231 points in total.

2018

A semi-final, a final and three consecutive group stage finish later, Bengaluru Bulls finally got their hands on the trophy. Playing in Zone B, the Bulls were absolutely on a roll since the start of the tournament. They finished the group stage at the top of Zone B, winning 13 of their 22 games.

Thanks to their first place finish in Zone B, the Bulls had a direct chance of qualifying for the final through qualifier 1. And they won the qualifier emphatically, defeating Gujarat Fortune Giants 41-29.

But the Gujarat based team found its way back to the final through qualifier 1, only to lose once again. In their second final after a gap of three years, the Bulls won 38-33 to win their first ever Pro Kabaddi League title. They also became the fourth different team to win the league.

The credit for the Bulls success in 2018 must go to Pawan Kumar Sehrawat who finished the season with league-best 271 raid points.

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Records of Bengaluru Bulls

2019 Auction

After a title-winning season, the Bulls decided to retain three elite players in the form of Rohit Kumar, Pawan Kumar Sehrawat, and Ashish Kumar. Captain Rohit Kumar had won 162 raid-points in 2018 while Pawan had the league-best tally of 271. They also retained two young players, Amit Sheoran and Sumit Singh.

Famous for their young team, Bengaluru Bulls added two new young players before the start of the auction – Mohit Sehrawat and Banty.

In the auction, the Bulls spent ₹80 lakh for Mahender Singh, the team’s most expensive buy of 2019.

Home Stadium of Bengaluru Bulls

The Kanteerava Indoor Stadium in Bangalore has been Bengaluru Bulls’ home stadium since 2014. The stadium has the capacity of 4000 spectators.

2019 Season

The wait is over! Here are our fixtures for ProKabaddi Season 7. Mark your calendars as we gear up for our first contest with Patna Pirates on 20th July!

Let us know which one are you excited about?#FullChargeMaadi #Champions #VIVOProKabaddi #Kabaddi #KhelKabaddi #LePanga pic.twitter.com/YDt9RMHSR1

— Bengaluru Bulls (@BengaluruBulls) June 23, 2019

The champions will start their title defense on the very first day of the seventh season, on 20^th July. The Bulls will face the 3-time champions Patna Pirates in the game at Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad.