PKL 2023: 5 raiding combinations to watch out for in Pro Kabaddi League
The Pro Kabaddi League Season 10 (PKL 2023) will start on December 2 in Ahmedabad, with a clash between Telugu Titans and Gujarat Giants. With less than a month to go for the first game, all 12 teams have started their preparations for the 10th edition of the PKL.
The PKL 2023 Auction was held last month in Mumbai, where all franchises stacked up their squads with some top-quality talents. Raiders play a big role in any kabaddi team's success.
If a team has two quality raiders, it becomes extremely tough for any defense to stop them. In this listicle, we will look at the top five raiding combinations to watch out for in Pro Kabaddi this year.
#1 Arjun Deshwal, V Ajith Kumar and Rahul Chaudhari - Jaipur Pink Panthers
Defending champions Jaipur Pink Panthers retained their top two raiders from the last season - Arjun Deshwal and V Ajith Kumar. Deshwal was the best raider of PKL 9, scoring 296 raid points in 23 matches. Kumar supported him to perfection with 100 raid points in 21 matches.
Rahul Chaudhari brought his experience to the fore and registered two Super 10s last season. Jaipur re-signed him at the PKL Auction, ensuring that they have the same raiding combination for Season 10. It will be interesting to see if this trio can guide Jaipur to another title.
#2 Sachin Tanwar, Manjeet Dahiya and Rakesh Narwal - Patna Pirates
Three-time champions Patna Pirates retained their top raider Sachin Tanwar ahead of the Pro Kabaddi League Auction. Tanwar earned 179 points in 20 games last season. He has two new raiding partners for the upcoming season.
The first name is Manjeet Dahiya, who led the Haryana Steelers' raid attack last season and scored 163 points. Dahiya's ex-Haryana teammate Rakesh Narwal has also moved to Patna. Narwal can play the supporting raider's role well, having scored 50 points last season.
#3 Vikash Kandola, Bharat Hooda and Neeraj Narwal - Bengaluru Bulls
Like Jaipur Pink Panthers, Bengaluru Bulls have decided to continue with the same raiding combination as PKL 9. The Bulls retained their top two raiders Bharat Hooda and Neeraj Narwal, and then re-signed Vikash Kandola at the PKL 2023 Auction.
Hooda stole the show last season with 282 points in 23 matches. Narwal earned 115 points, while Kandola finished with 139 points. Fans will expect a better performance from Kandola, who scored a total of 375 points in Season 7 and 8 for Haryana.
#4 Naveen Kumar, Ashu Malik and Meetu Sharma - Dabang Delhi KC
Former champions Dabang Delhi KC raised quite a few eyebrows when they let go of their star all-rounder Vijay Malik. They retained Naveen Kumar and Ashu Malik, who scored the majority of the raid points for the team last season, but they failed to re-sign Vijay.
Delhi roped in Meetu Sharma at the PKL 2023 Auction. Sharma was with the Steelers last season, where he earned 137 points. He is a talented raider and can destroy any defense on his day.
#5 Pardeep Narwal, Surinder Gill and Vijay Malik - UP Yoddhas
UP Yoddhas probably have the most destructive raiding trio in PKL 2023. They retained the duo of Pardeep Narwal and Surinder Gill, who have been among the best raiders of PKL in the last few seasons.
To bolster the raiding unit further, the Yoddhas signed Vijay Malik, who played a big role in Delhi's success. Malik earned 162 points in 23 matches of Season 8, helping Delhi win their first championship. It will be interesting to see if he can help UP Yoddhas win their first title in PKL 2023.