Pro Kabaddi 2017, Season 5: League's 5 most improved players
We’re nearing Season 5 of Pro Kabaddi and one thing’s for sure – merely securing a place in the starting 7 is a herculean task for any player. Consider this, over 400 players went under the hammer at the recent auction, 131 more compared to last time around. The competition is stiff and it’s now evident, only the players who display massive improvement will be guaranteed a place in the starting line-up. We look at 5 such players, who’ve improved the most.
#1 Deepak Niwas Hooda
As I write this piece today, Hooda will be celebrating his 23rd birthday. A fitting tribute to the clean-shaven allrounder who was only 21 when he made his Pro Kabaddi debut back in 2014. Commanding a sum of Rs.12.6 lacs in Season 1, Deepak was always considered a supremely talented player since Day 1.
The statistics speak for themselves – 86, 60 and 69 were the number of raid points he picked up in the first three seasons. But it was Season 4 when Hooda finally catapulted himself from talented to irreplaceable. Notching up a massive 126 raid points (third in the table), he was Pune’s go to man in the raiding department and will continue to be so this season.