PKL Season 2 winners - Where are they now?
After a successful first season of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), a lot was expected from the second season, and it didn't disappoint at all. Anup Kumar became a superstar during the first season, arriving in style.
Overcoming the heartbreak of the final of the first season, "Captain Cool' led his team to the PKL glory by beating Bengaluru Bulls 36-30 in the final to lift the championship.
It was an eight-team tournament. U Mumba dominated the competition throughout the season and ended up as the deserving winners. Now, we have the historic 10th season of the Pro Kabaddi League upon us.
On that note, let's take a look at all the players who won PKL Season 2 with U Mumba and where they are now.
Raiders - Anup Kumar, Shabeer Bapu, Rishank Devadiga, Pawan Kumar, Masayuki Shimokawa
Anup Kumar is one of the most renowned kabaddi names in India. The legendary skipper is serving Haryana Police as the DSP. He was also the head coach for Puneri Paltan in PKL 7 and 8, but the Pune-based franchise replaced him with BC Ramesh after failing to win the trophy.
Rishank Devadiga has now turned into a kabaddi expert and can be seen in pre-match shows and also in the commentary box. Meanwhile, Shabeer Bapu has retired from the PKL.
Pawan Kumar Kadian sat on the U Mumba bench in the season two final. He last appeared for Puneri Paltan in Season 7 but hasn't been seen in the league after an underwhelming performance.
Japanese raider Masayuki Shimokawa is working on developing kabaddi in Japan and running a kabaddi academy. Meanwhile, Pradeep Kumar has disappeared from the limelight after being on the fringes for the first couple of seasons.
Defenders - Jeeva Kumar, Surender Nada, Mohit Chhillar, Vishal Prabhakar Mane, Fazel Atrachali and Bhupender Singh
Fazel Atrachali, Vishal Mane and Surender Nada are still active players. The Iranian defender has been signed by Gujarat Giants for a whopping INR 1.60 crore for Season 10, making him the second-most expensive overseas player.
Meanwhile, Surender Nada played for Haryana Steelers in Season 9 but struggled for form and injuries. Subsequently, the veteran defender went unsold in the auctions for PKL 10.
Vishal Mane played for U Mumba in Season 9 but went unsold in the auctions for the upcoming season of the Pro Kabaddi League after spending the entirety of the last season on the bench.
Jeeva Kumar has taken up coaching and has been appointed as the defensive coach of U Mumba for PKL 10. Mohit Chhillar last played for Tamil Thalaivas in Season 7 and had an underwhelming outing with 37 points. He was not a part of the PKL auctions this year.
Bhupender Singh failed to make his name in the kabaddi realms and slipped out of the limelight after appearing in the first couple of seasons in the PKL.