Pro Kabaddi 2021: Top 3 best captains in PKL history
Pro Kabaddi 2021 is scheduled to get underway this Wednesday in Bengaluru. Six teams will be in action on the opening night as a triple header will kick off a new PKL season for the first time in the league's history.
The importance of a captain is very high in a team sport like kabaddi. One of the team members gets the responsibility of leading the team. He has to make all the decisions for the side during the match.
Generally in kabaddi, the key decisions that a captain needs to make are the rotation of raiders, placement of defenders and changing the speed of the game as per his team's position. Not every player can be a good captain in kabaddi.
Ahead of Pro Kabaddi 2021, all 12 Pro Kabaddi teams have named their respective captains. You can check out the full list right here.
On that note, here's a look at the top three best captains in the league's history.
#1 Anup Kumar - Won Pro Kabaddi League Season 2 as captain
Current Puneri Paltan coach Anup Kumar captained U Mumba during his Pro Kabaddi League career as a player. Anup was nicknamed 'Captain Cool' because of his ability to stay calm even in pressure situations.
Anup led the Mumbai-based franchise to perfection and helped them become champions in the second season. In addition, U Mumba finished as runners-up in Seasons 1 and 3 under Anup's captaincy. In the fourth season, however, they missed out on a place in the semifinals because of score difference.
Because of his excellent leadership skills, many fans consider Anup Kumar the best captain in Pro Kabaddi League history.
#2 Manpreet Singh - Won Pro Kabaddi League Season 3 as captain
While Anup Kumar captained U Mumba in multiple seasons, Manpreet Singh played only one season where he led the Patna Pirates. The Patna-based franchise qualified for the semifinals in the first two seasons but failed to capture the trophy.
Ahead of the third season, the Pirates signed Manpreet and assigned him the team's reins. With players like Pardeep Narwal and Rohit Kumar in the squad, Manpreet led the Patna-based franchise magnificently and guided them to their maiden PKL title.
Singh did not score many points for the team, but he used his players well and altered the game's speed as per the situation properly. His leadership skills helped him become a PKL-winning captain in Season 3.
Check out the Pro Kabaddi results here.
#3 Joginder Narwal
Veteran defender Joginder Narwal will lead Dabang Delhi KC in Pro Kabaddi 2021. Although Joginder has never won the PKL as a captain, he is one of the top leaders in the league's history.
Narwal joined Dabang Delhi KC in Season 6. Prior to the tournament, Delhi played five PKL seasons and failed to qualify for the playoffs even once. After Narwal became the team's captain, Delhi made it to the playoffs for the first time ever in Season 6.
In Season 7, Delhi qualified for their maiden PKL final under Narwal's leadership. Ahead of Pro Kabaddi 2021, Joginder clarified that his only goal this season was to win his first gold in the Pro Kabaddi League.
It will be interesting to see if Delhi can win the title under Narwal's captaincy.