Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction: When was the last time Jang Kun Lee played in the PKL?
Day two of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) season 11 auction saw some big-name foreign players being acquired, but one of the names that caught the attention was that of former PKL favorite Jang Kun Lee. The 31-year-old South Korean raider was acquired by the Patna Pirates for Rs. 17.50 lakh, marking his return to the Indian kabaddi scene after an absence of four years having last played here in 2019.
Jang Kun Lee was one of the first foreign players to catch the imagination of Indian kabaddi fans, becoming the first overseas player to score 400 raid points. He was also the most valuable overseas player in the PKL at one point after being retained by the Bengal Warriors for Rs. 80.30 lakh.
Despite playing for seven seasons in the Pro Kabaddi League, Lee had only played for two franchises – the Bengal Warriors and the Patna Pirates. He was acquired by the former right after the 2014 Asian Games, where he had won a bronze medal. After plying his trade at the Warriors team for six seasons, Lee moved to the Patna Pirates in 2019 in the seventh season.
The ‘Babumoshai of Bengal’, as he was termed by his franchise’s fans during his time in Kolkata, has been one of the most successful foreign raiders to grace the PKL and kabaddi fans will be excited to see him return to the big stage once again for his former team.
Jang Kun Lee returns to the PKL after four years' absence
Patna Pirate’s purchase of Jang Kun Lee in the PKL season 11 auction marks his return to the PKL after four seasons. The lightning-fast raider had last appeared in India in season 7 when he played for the Patna Pirates.
After six successful seasons with the Bengal Warriors, Lee was purchased by the Pirates for Rs. 40 lakh. He played 16 matches for his new team, scoring 63 raid points from 138 raids.
However, the South Korean chose not to take part in the eight-season auction owing to undisclosed personal reasons. Since then, Lee fell off the Kabaddi grid both in India and back at home, where he lost his place in the South Korean national kabaddi team.
However, Jang Kun Lee has finally decided to return to the kabaddi arena in PKL season 11, and fans and neutral viewers alike will hope that the enigmatic raider can recapture his old form that saw him dominate opponents during the seven seasons he spent in India.