Naveen Kumar PKL Team: Which team is 'Naveen Express' playing for in PKL 2023?
Naveen Kumar, a young kabaddi sensation hailing from Haryana, Sultanpur, has been making headlines as the 10th edition of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL 10) continues. In fact, the 23-year-old raider has been one of the most talented players in the PKL pool over the years.
He has etched his name in the PKL annals since the very first season. Representing the Indian national kabaddi team to wearing Dabang Delhi's jersey in the PKL, Naveen's journey has been nothing short of remarkable.
He belongs to Haryana, a state that has already been home to many well-known Indian wrestlers. Known as the Naveen Express, the raider was also part of the Indian team that won the gold medal at the Asian Games 2022.
Naveen Kumar made his PKL debut in Season 6 for Dabang Delhi KC and left an indelible mark with 177 points and a raid strike rate of 56% in 22 games.
His instrumental performances pushed Delhi to keep him in their roaster. In the subsequent season, Naveen made sure to win the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award with his extraordinary skills. In 23 games, he accumulated a whopping sum of 303 points at a commendable strike rate of 64%. It has been the best of Naveen in the history of PKL so far.
The young raider maintained his consistency in Season 8, securing 210 points in 17 matches with a notable 61% raid strike rate. His speedy raiding in Season 9 saw him amass 258 crucial points for the side.
Naveen Kumar's PKL career speaks volume
To conclude Naveen's overall PKL journey so far, he has donned the Delhi jersey 88 times, earning 991 points. His raid points per match stand at an impressive 11.09, with an amazing not-out percentage of 82.6%. Surprisingly, in a short span, Naveen Kumar has completed a total of 1615 raids, with a success rate of 51%.
What makes him a force to reckon with is his illustrious record - Naveen became the fastest player in PKL history to cross 600 points during Season 9.
Rendering his services to Delhi in PKL 10, he has featured in three games so far. From three games, he has gathered 43 points with a remarkable raid strike rate of 71% and a solid tackle strike rate of 50%.