Pro Kabaddi League 2018: All-time Best Captains' Starting 7
The Pro Kabaddi League has worked hard to bring recognition, fame and glory to all those who play India's very own game, kabaddi.
Since its inception in 2014, it has gained popular support from fans, celebrities and players alike. Some credit must also be given to the superstars who have led their team to glory.
Anup Kumar has been regarded as the best captain in PKL history while Rahul Chaudhari and Manjeet Chillar have been equally good.
Ajay Thakur has recently been made the captain of the Indian Kabaddi team and was the leader of the Tamil Thalaivas for the first time in his PKL career.
Pardeep Narwal, just 21 years old, captained Patna Pirates to their third title win last year while contributing as a player in the previous two seasons.
Here is a team which consists of the best and highest points scoring captains in PKL history.
Note: These players may or may not be captains now but were leading sides at some point of time.
Team composition- Three Raiders, Three Defenders and one All Rounder
#1 Rahul Chaudhari (Telugu Titans)
Captained Titans in Season1 and Season 2, Season 4 and Season 5
Rahul Chaudhari has been the poster boy of Pro Kabaddi right from its beginning. He was the highest point scorer in Season 4 and also leads the way for the points scored in PKL history right now.
He has amassed 775 points in 87 matches out of which 710 points were scored when he was a captain.
Though his captaincy didn't involve taking many astute decisions, he was an inspirational leader and took the onus on himself in do or die raids and was a guidance to many young players in the side.
#2 Anup Kumar (Jaipur Pink Panthers)
Captained U Mumba for Season 1 and Season 5)
Jaipur Pink Panthers- (Season 6)
Anup Kumar is easily the best captain in PKL history. A calm and composed player on the mat, he is a very good reader of the game and is a great points scorer as well.
He was the highest points scorer in the inaugural edition of PKL and led U Mumba to the final where they lost narrowly to Jaipur Pink Panthers. He didn't give up and was instrumental in their victory in the second season of PKL where they beat the Bengaluru Bulls in the finals.
Anup has captained Team India as well as U Mumba and is the captain for the Jaipur Pink Panthers.
He was the driving force behind U Mumba's success and has unearthed many young talents like Fazel Atrachali, Shrikanth Jadhav or was a good companion to players like Rishank Devadiga.
Though he's not having the best of time with the Panthers, one can always hope for the best with Anup. He has scored 580 points in 86 matches as captain and will be the captain for our Captains' Starting 7.
#3 Pardeep Narwal (Patna Pirates)
Captained Patna Pirates for Season 5 and Season 6
Pardeep Narwal has turned into one of the mainstays of Indian kabaddi and has become the most loved player in PKL.
Known as the 'Dubki King', Pardeep was just 19 years old when he played for the Patna Pirates in Season 3 along with Rohit Kumar and scored 121 points and was the highest points scorer in Season 3.
He had yet another great season with Patna in Season 4 where he scored 133 points and was made the captain of Patna when he was 20 years old.
The youngster led from the front and was an inspiration to the others and found a great companion in Monu Goyat.
He scored a colossal 369 points in Season 5, 138 points clear of the second highest points scorer. He was a main reason why Patna won the PKL Season 5 for the third season running.
Narwal is continuing as captain in Season 6 and has had a good time as a player so far, but not as a captain.
Patna have won four games and lost six and Pardeep has scored 95 points in nine games. He has scored 464 points as a captain and has scored 727 points in his PKL career in just three seasons, which is phenomenal.