5 raiding combinations to watch out for in Pro Kabaddi 2021
Pro Kabaddi 2021 will get underway in two weeks. For the first time in the league's history, a season will kick off with a 'Triple Panga'. It means that the fans will witness three matches on the trot.
PKL 8 will also be the first season where all games of the first half will happen at the same venue with no fans in attendance. Bengaluru's Sheraton Grand Whitefield will play host to the first half of Pro Kabaddi 2021.
Generally, the live fans play a huge role in motivating the home team, especially the raiders. Whenever the audience's favorite raider enters the opposition team's half, he receives a massive cheer from the crowd. However, that will not be the case in Pro Kabaddi 2021 because of the COVID-19 protocols in place.
Nevertheless, fans at home will get an opportunity to watch their favorite raiders compete in Pro Kabaddi 2021. This year, franchisees have assembled some dream raiding combinations at the auction. In this listicle today, we will look at the top five raiding combinations to look out for this season.
#1 Naveen Kumar and Ajay Thakur, Dabang Delhi KC
Dabang Delhi KC retained their youngster Naveen Kumar Goyat ahead of the Pro Kabaddi 2021 auction. Naveen played a massive role in Delhi's journey to their maiden PKL final in 2019.
The rising star of Indian kabaddi will now get an opportunity to raid alongside 2016 Kabaddi World Cup hero Ajay Thakur for Dabang Delhi KC in PKL 8. The Delhi-based franchise signed veteran raider Thakur for ₹46 lakh at the auction. It will be exciting to see how the two raiders perform in the upcoming season.
#2 Rahul Chaudhari and Nitin Tomar, Puneri Paltan
Rahul Chaudhari and Nitin Tomar will unite forces for the first time in Pro Kabaddi history at Puneri Paltan in 2021. The two raiders were part of the Indian squad that lifted the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup.
The two raiders have scored a total of over 1,000 points in Pro Kabaddi League history. With 2016 Kabaddi World Cup-winning skipper Anup Kumar as the coach, fans should expect Rahul and Nitin to wreak havoc in Pro Kabaddi 2021.
#3 Rishank Devadiga, Sukesh Hegde and Maninder Singh, Bengal Warriors
Defending champions Bengal Warriors have two raiders from their 2019 squad - Maninder Singh and Sukesh Hegde. They have added former PKL winner Rishank Devadiga to the team ahead of Pro Kabaddi 2021.
These three raiders have the capability to turn the match at any moment. They have single-handedly won matches for their teams in the PKL before. It should not be a surprise if the Bengal Warriors score heaps of raid points in PKL 8.
#4 Pardeep Narwal, Shrikant Jadhav and Surender Gill
UP Yoddha signed three-time PKL champion Pardeep Narwal at the Pro Kabaddi 2021 auction. They retained reliable raider Surender Gill before the auction and re-signed their star of 2019 Shrikant Jadhav at the auction.
Narwal, Gill and Jadhav could destroy any team's defense in Pro Kabaddi 2021. It will be interesting to see how they play as a unit.
#5 Pawan Kumar Sehrawat, Deepak Narwal and Chandran Ranjit
Pawan Kumar Sehrawat lacked support from his teammates in PKL 2019. But the team's management has signed two dangerous raiders to support Pawan in Pro Kabaddi 2021.
Former Dabang Delhi KC star Chandran Ranjit and former Patna Pirates raider Deepak Narwal have joined the Bengaluru-based franchise. If the trio perform to their full potential, Bengaluru could win their second title in Pro Kabaddi 2021.