Pro Kabaddi 2023: Dabang Delhi's all-time PKL 7
Dabang Delhi KC have been a part of the Pro Kabaddi League since the tournament's inception. The Delhi-based franchise failed to reach the playoffs in the first five seasons, but have been consistent in the recent editions of the Pro Kabaddi League.
Delhi won their maiden Pro Kabaddi League title in season eight. They finished runners-up in the season before that, while in seasons six and nine, the Delhi-based franchise made it to the playoffs but didn't reach the finals.
Some of the biggest names in the kabaddi world have played for Dabang Delhi KC in the Pro Kabaddi League. Before Delhi start their PKL 2023 campaign against Tamil Thalaivas on December 3, here's a look at their all-time playing seven.
Center - Naveen Kumar
Naveen Kumar will be the lead raider of this playing seven. The 'Naveen Express' joined Delhi in season six and changed the team's fortunes. Delhi have qualified for the playoffs in every season that Naveen has played.
Shedding some light on his numbers in the PKL, Naveen has earned 948 points in just 85 matches. He has recorded 58 Super 10s in his career, with his average raid points per match being close to 11. Naveen has also executed nine super raids and two super tackles.
Left Cover - Sachin Shingade
Sachin Shingade played only one season for Delhi. He turned up for the Dabangs in season four, where he finished fifth in the defenders' leaderboard, with 44 tackle points in just 14 games.
Although Delhi could not finish in the Top 4 of the points table that season, Shingade earned a lot of praise from the fans for his tackling skills. He recorded four High 5s and executed five super tackles in 14 matches.
Right Cover - Vishal Mane
Veteran defender Vishal Mane will take the right cover position in this lineup. Like Sachin Shingade, Mane did not have a lengthy stint with Delhi in PKL, but he managed to make a big impact in the two seasons that he played.
Mane earned 38 points in 22 games of season six, followed by 28 points in 23 matches of season seven. His performances played a big role in Dabang Delhi's journey to the playoffs.
Left In - Vijay Malik
Vijay Malik was the supporting raider to Naveen Kumar in the last three PKL seasons at Dabang Delhi KC. Malik moved from Patna Pirates to Delhi ahead of season seven. In his first season for Delhi, he earned 62 points in 22 matches.
His performance improved significantly in season eight as Malik finished with 162 points in 23 matches. Delhi ended up winning the PKL title that season. He has moved to UP Yoddhas now, but Delhi fans will always remember his contributions.
Right In - Kashiling Adake
Kashiling Adake was the face of the Dabang Delhi KC in the initial seasons. He scored 113 raid points in just 14 games of season one. In the next edition of PKL, he won the Best Raider award for earning 114 raid points in 14 matches.
Adake's performances declined in season three, but he was still Delhi's best raider with 75 points in 11 games. He was the top-scorer for Delhi in season four as well, earning 78 raid points in 13 matches. Unfortunately, Delhi never made it to the semifinals when Adake was their lead raider.
Left Corner - Joginder Narwal (c)
Delhi's best seasons came under the leadership of Joginder Narwal. He will be the captain of this all-time seven. Playing at the left corner position, the senior defender scored 132 points across seasons six, seven and eight for the Delhi-based franchise.
Narwal played for multiple franchises during his legendary PKL career, but he achieved the highest success during his stint with Delhi.
Right Corner - Ravinder Pahal
Ravinder Pahal has been the most successful defender for Dabang Delhi KC in PKL history. The right-corner defender scored 249 points in five seasons for Delhi. He had two stints with the franchise.
Delhi signed him for the first season and retained him for the next two editions. The defender then moved to Puneri Paltan and Bengaluru Bulls before returning to Dabang Delhi for seasons six and seven.
His best performance came in the second season, where he won the Best Defender award for scoring 60 tackle points in 14 games.
All-time PKL 7 of Dabang Delhi KC
Naveen Kumar, Sachin Shingade, Vishal Mane, Vijay Malik, Kashiling Adake, Joginder Narwal and Ravinder Pahal.