Pro Kabaddi 2023: 3 players who might be playing their last season
The Pro Kabaddi League is back with a bang for its record 10th season. PKL 8 was held in a bio-bubble in Bengaluru while Season 9 was held only across four cities. However, PKL 10 goes back to the caravan format with games to be played in the home cities of each of the 12 teams.
Teams have invested in young talent, with several youngsters being retained in the NYP category and also being picked at the auctions. That said, there is still a nice blend of experience and youth among all the teams for this season.
The majority of the focus has shifted toward young guns with teams looking to build and develop talent for the future. However, there could be some players who might be playing their last season in PKL 10.
Here is a list of three such players who may not feature in the league anymore post the 2023/2024 season.
#3 Ran Singh
36-year-old Ran Singh is among the oldest players to be playing in the PKL Season 10. The veteran all-rounder will ply his trade for the Bengaluru Bulls this season. He has a vast experience of 142 PKL matches, accumulating 378 points, including 274 tackle and 104 raid points.
Ran Singh played only eight matches for the Bulls last season, picking up five tackle points. Despite his immense experience, he is not expected to be a regular in the Starting 7 for the Bengaluru franchise.
For all we know, this may very well be the last of him that we witness on the PKL mat.
#2 Rahul Chaudhari
Rahul Chaudhari is a household name when it comes to the Pro Kabaddi League. He is also one of the most successful players with exceptional numbers in the PKL. The 'Showman,' as he is famously known, has 1,039 raid points under his belt, making him one of the top raiders in the history of the league.
However, his performances have seen a significant decline over the past few seasons. Rahul played seven games in Season 8, scoring just 13 points. The following edition was slightly better for him, as he picked up 71 raid points from 21 matches. Given his standards, this was certainly a below-par showing for him.
Moreover, the star raider was not a part of the Indian team's squad for the 2022 Asian Games (played in 2023) as well. With teams looking at the future, this could be his last PKL season.
#1 Surjeet Singh
Veteran defender Surjeet Singh will be a part of the Bengaluru Bulls for PKL Season 10. Surjeet represented the Telugu Titans in Season 9. The 33-year-old has had a successful PKL career with as many as 348 tackle points to his name.
Surjeet was also a part of the Indian Kabaddi team that won gold in the 2022 Asian Games.
However, the ace defender went through poor form in the previous PKL season. From 13 appearances, he could only score 17 tackle points with a disappointing success rate of just 29%.
If Surjeet fails to put up a good show in PKL 10, it could be his last season, also keeping the age factor in mind.