Top 5 raiders to watch out for in Pro Kabaddi 2021
Pro Kabaddi 2021 will get underway on December 22 in Bengaluru. For the first time in PKL history, matches will be held behind closed doors. Keeping the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the organizers have decided to conduct Pro Kabaddi 2021 in Bengaluru with no fans in attendance.
The players, especially the raiders, will miss the electricity of the live audience. Generally when a star raider goes to raid in the opposition team's section, he receives a loud cheer from the crowd. The same will not happen in Pro Kabaddi 2021.
Nevertheless, the raiders will have to keep themselves motivated to score points consistently for their teams. Many big names will be in action during Pro Kabaddi 2021, and here are the five top raiders in pro kabaddi to watch out for in the upcoming season.
#1 Maninder Singh, Bengal Warriors
Bengal Warriors star Maninder Singh was instrumental in his team's maiden PKL championship win in 2019. Singh scored 205 raid points in 20 matches at an average of 10.25 raid points per match, registering 10 Super 10s in the previous PKL season.
Fans will expect him to continue in the same vein in Pro Kabaddi 2021. The Bengal Warriors star will have the support of Rishank Devadiga, Sukesh Hegde, Ravindra Kumawat, Sumit Singh and Mohammad Nabibakhsh in the raid attack this season.
#2 Pawan Kumar Sehrawat, Bengaluru Bulls
The number one raider of PKL 2019, Pawan Kumar Sehrawat, will hold the key to the Bengaluru Bulls' success in Pro Kabaddi 2021. Although Sehrawat scored 360 points in the 2019 Pro Kabaddi League, his pro kabaddi team failed to win the championship.
Sehrawat will try to continue his excellent form and expect some more support from his teammates this year. The team management has bolstered Bengaluru's raid attack ahead of Pro Kabaddi 2021 by signing Chandran Ranjit, Deepak Narwal, Dong Geon Lee, Abolfazl Maghsouldou Mahali and More GB.
#3 Rahul Chaudhari, Puneri Paltan
Puneri Paltan is the new home of PKL's first-ever poster boy Rahul Chaudhari. The Pune-based franchise snapped him up for just ₹40 lakh at the Pro Kabaddi 2021 auction.
Chaudhari is one of the most successful players in PKL history. After failing to perform well for Tamil Thalaivas in 2019, Rahul will try to revive his career at Puneri Paltan in Pro Kabaddi 2021.
#4 Pardeep Narwal, UP Yoddha
Pardeep Narwal became the most expensive player in PKL Auction history earlier this year. UP Yoddha broke the bank and acquired his services for a whopping ₹1.65 crore.
Narwal is a former three-time PKL winner. He is the only player to score more than 1,000 raid points in Pro Kabaddi history. It will be interesting to see how Pardeep performs for UP Yoddha.
#5 Naveen Kumar, Dabang Delhi KC
Dabang Delhi KC retained their rising star Naveen Kumar ahead of the Pro Kabaddi 2021 auction. The decision did not surprise anyone because Naveen was the best raider for Delhi in 2019.
With over 300 raid points to his name, Naveen finished in the top 3 of the 2019 raiders' leaderboard. Delhi fans will hope for a similar performance from Naveen in Pro Kabaddi 2021.