The contact sport of kabaddi has exploded in recognition because the launch
of VIVO Professional Kabaddi League (PKL), the game’s first skilled league, in 2014.
And as kabaddi is the quickest rising sport in India and is gaining popularity in international locations all through the world, we thought we’d check out the highest 10 gamers to have ever graced the game.
1. Pardeep Narwal (UP Yoddah)
In case you’re going to go away a legacy on the game of kabaddi then being
remembered because the “Dubki King” isn’t too unhealthy.
Narwal presently performs for UP Yoddah and is broadly considered the perfect
raider of all time.
His listing of achievements is close to infinite. Some highlights embody being
the highest level scorer of all time, having essentially the most profitable raids of all time,
attaining essentially the most ever tremendous 10s and being the primary particular person to win
back-to-back MVP awards.
Narwal was additionally the primary participant to hit the 1,000 factors mark.
Exterior of the PKL, Narwal gained a gold medal with the Indian nationwide
workforce on the 2019 South Asian Video games. He additionally gained three consecutive PKL titles
with Patna Pirates.
His most memorable second got here in a match in opposition to Haryana Steelers when
Narwal scored an unimaginable eight factors in a single raid.
2. Anup Kumar (Retired)
Subsequent on our listing is the person often known as the “God of Kabaddi.”
Kumar’s story started from humble beginnings, when he used to play the
sport as a teenager merely to move the time.
At present, he is called probably the most prolific raiders that the sport has
ever seen. He spent 5 years taking part in for U Mumba earlier than shifting on to the
Jaipur Pink Panthers.
Undoubtedly, the best achievement for Kumar was captaining the
Indian nationwide workforce and profitable gold medals at each the 2010 and 2014 Asian
Video games.
Throughout his profession Kumar acquired one MVP award however it’s his legacy as
one of many sport’s very first superstars that makes him one of many best to
ever play the sport.
3. Rahul Chaudhari (Jaipur Pink Panthers)
Reworking from defender to raider is kind of uncommon within the VIVO professional
kabaddi league however Rahul Chaudhari has made it look straightforward and is one among
kabaddi’s most harmful raiders.
The Indian nationwide workforce member is affectionately seen as a showman
throughout the sport as a result of his aptitude raids and lavish way of life. On the court docket his
trademark working hand contact has helped him grow to be a PKL legend.
Chaudhari is just the third participant in historical past to achieve 1,000 raid factors
and is a veteran, having performed in each PKL season up to now.
Though he’s within the twilight of his profession Chaudhari continues to be making
performs for Jaipur Pink Panthers and just lately led Uttar Pradesh to the Nationwide Video games title.
4. Deepak Niwas Hooda (Bengal Warriors)
The story behind Hooda is a tragic one.
Born to a farming household in Chamaria village in Haryana’s Rohtak
district, his mom died when he was simply 4 years previous, and his father later
handed away in 2013.
Nonetheless, Hooda has used kabaddi to remodel his life, creating a
popularity for being probably the most scientific all-rounders the game has ever
seen.
Hooda’s statistics are spectacular with greater than 1,100 whole factors
earned, 250 tackles and a pair of,000 raids throughout his PKL profession.
What’s extra, Hooda has the glory of being India’s captain, a job he was
allotted in direction of the top of 2019.
5. Naveen Kumar (Dabang Delhi Okay.C.)
As soon as deemed to
be an up-and-coming star, Naveen Kumar was the primary participant born within the twenty first century to characteristic within the PKL.
Today he’s
often known as one of many best raiders of all time and is just the second participant
to win back-to-back MVP awards.
Kumar has a
knack for turning up when his workforce wants him most and that’s what he did within the
ultimate of PKL’s eighth season.
On this essential
match Kumar scored an unimaginable tremendous 10, serving to Dabang Delhi Okay.C. to beat
Patna Pirates by a single level.
He additionally performed
an important half in India’s kabaddi win on the 2019 South Asian video games and plenty of
assume that, in time, his profession would possibly even surpass that of kabaddi legend
Pardeep Narwal.
6. Pawan Sehrawat (Tamil Thalaivas)
Throughout the league’s sixth season, Pawan Sehrawat introduced himself on
the PKL stage in dramatic style, scoring 282 factors, an unimaginable 22 of
which got here within the Bull’s finals victory in opposition to Gujarat
Giants.
Sehrawat was awarded MVP for that season. The next 12 months he set a
PKL file by scoring an unimaginable 39 factors in a single sport.
These performances haven’t gone unnoticed; Sehrawat was just lately traded
from the Bulls to Tamil Thalaivas for a file payment of ₹2.26
crore, which is the same as round $280,000.
Sadly,
Sehrawat has hardly featured within the 2022 season after struggling a critical knee
damage simply 10 minutes into the opening sport of the 12 months.
Nonetheless,
we’re all excited to see Sehrawat add to his legacy when he’s totally
recovered.
7. Maninder Singh (Bengal Warriors)
Because the participant with the second highest factors whole ever (1,126), Maninder
Singh, raider and captain of the Bengal Warriors, positively deserves his place
on this listing.
In his first season Singh performed for the Jaipur Pink Panthers.
They gained the league and Singh racked up 130 factors. Nonetheless, he was to
miss the following three PKL seasons as a result of a serious again damage and was traded to
the Bengal Warriors in 2017.
Singh bounced again amazingly from his damage, scoring 190 factors throughout
his second season. The next 12 months he grew to become the quickest participant ever to
attain each 400 and 500 raid factors.
In 2019 Singh captained the Warriors to their first title, though an
damage meant he couldn’t play on the very finish of the season.
Regardless of having been within the league for a protracted whereas, and his many accidents,
the captain of the Bengal Warriors exhibits no signal of slowing down. The truth is, on
November 5, Singh scored a profession finest 20
raid factors in opposition to Gujarat Giants.
8. Fazel Atrachali (Puneri Paltan)
The one non-Indian participant to make this listing is Fazel “Sultan”
Atrachali.
Born in Iran, Atrachali has taken the PKL by storm, cementing himself as
the perfect defender to ever play the sport.
Not solely does he have essentially the most profitable tackles of all time (379), however
he’s additionally the one participant to have ever achieved 400 sort out factors.
Atrachali has additionally been awarded the Greatest Defender Title on two
events, most just lately in season 7 when he had an astonishing 82 sort out
factors.
He achieved 45 sort out factors in Season 4 to assist Patna Pirates win the
title.
As an Iranian nationwide, Atrachali is just not solely breaking the mould within the
VIVO professional kabaddi league but in addition shaking up the worldwide competitions.
He captained Iran to victory on the 2018 Asian Video games, beating India 27-18 within the semi-final after which South Korea 26-16.
9. Sandeep Narwal (UP Yoddahs)
The story of Narwal’s profession is one among adapting and evolving. He has
gone from being a nook defender to among the finest all-rounders to play the
sport. He even has essentially the most tremendous tackles of all time (29).
Narwal’s aggressive type of protection is revered throughout the sport and
his landmark season 3 noticed him grow to be an integral a part of the Patna Pirates
protection.
The flexibility to combine his mix of unpredictable tempo and agility alongside
together with his brute energy has helped him grow to be one of many legends of the sport.
In recent times his kind has dropped considerably, nevertheless, he has just lately
been signed by UP Yoddahs and has an enormous alternative to assist flip their season
round.
10. Ajay Thakur (Dabang Delhi Okay.C.)
One of the crucial constant raiders within the historical past of the VIVO professional
kabaddi league rounds out our listing.
Thakur has been concerned within the sport for quite a lot of years representing
the likes of Bengaluru Bulls, Puneri Paltan, Tamil Thalaivas, and Dabang Delhi
Okay.C.
Exterior of the PKL, the person dubbed “King of Kabaddi” captained the India
nationwide workforce to gold on the 2017 Asian Kabaddi Championship.
He has earned over 800 factors and performed in additional than 110 matches
that means Thakur is expertise and high quality personified.
Lead picture: India Instances
