India's oldest sport, one that originated in the country is now gaining the attention and catching the fancy of sports fans across the globe. Most of the credit for this development should be attributed to the emergence of the Pro Kabaddi League, a platform where new heroes have risen in the form of sporting icons.
And now we have a new sporting extravaganza in the offing, the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup which will have 12 nations including India, USA, UK, Australia, Iran, Poland, Thailand, Bangladesh, South Korea, Japan, Argentina, and Kenya locking horns against each other to be crowned world champions.
Experts all over have tipped the defending champions India to win what will be the third edition of the World Cup, having won it on both the previous occasions due to its superiority in terms of players, host nation and the very fact that Kabaddi is a homegrown sport.
But, one cannot definitely not underestimate the challenge from others nations like Iran, where the sport has seen tremendous progress with many of the national team players such as Meraj Sheykh, Fazel Atrachali featuring for the top teams in the Pro Kabaddi League. When it comes to India's Eastern neighbor, Bangladesh, kabaddi is the national sport of the country thus ensuring that their players will be well prepared to give in a tough fight to their rivals at the competition.
Amongst other nations, South Korea, Kenya and Japan too have had a considerable amount of representation in Pro Kabaddi with players like Jang Kun Lee, Simon Kibura and Shimokawa being the top attractions!
As such, there are many international players one should take a note of when they step onto the kabaddi mat, Sportskeeda outlines the best 5 foreign players which are poised to shine at the Kabaddi World Cup.
#1 Meraj Sheykh
The Iranian captain is one complete all rounder. Name a kabaddi move and it's in his skill book. From an ankle hold on the defender to a high-flying jump while raiding. Having played a total of 43 matches for two teams, the Telugu Titans and recently Dabang Delhi, he has notched up more than 161 points out of which 119 have come from successful raids and the remaining 42 from tackles on the opposition.
The Iranians play quite an attacking brand of Kabaddi which was clearly evident when they were runners-up to India at the Asian Games in 2014, and their skipper, who was a part of the silver medal-winning team leads the packs from the front. Meraj can evenly manage his troops and control high-pressure situations with a calm mind in what is actually a very fast-paced game.
#2 Fazel Atrachali
The defensive wall of Iran, well if one gets into his trap on the Kabaddi mat, it is impossible to escape without being tackled. He has a daunting presence in the left corner and was thus instrumental in two Pro Kabaddi title wins. The first one was with U Mumba in Season 2 where he came in as a replacement mid- season for Surender Nada and second with the Patna Pirates in Season 4 when he was one of the integral architects of the title win.
Fazel was the captain of the Iranian side which gave a tough fight to India at the Asian Games in 2014 only to settle for a second place finish. A tough nut to crack, he has his numbers speaking for him as well with 97 points from a mere 32 matches.
#3 Jang Kun Lee
The South Korean raider who has played for the Bengal Warriors since the inaugural season of Pro Kabaddi is as ferocious as a Bengal Tiger when he raids. A former judoka and a rower, his strength and agility allows him to swiftly escape with a running hand touch or toe-touch from under the nose of the rival's defence.
He has clearly been the most successful foreigner in the Pro Kabaddi League amassing a total of 262 points from just 51 matches. He was the first choice raider for his franchise in the Pro Kabaddi League and also a key figure in the South Korean team that clinched the bronze medal at the Asian Games in 2014.
#4 Tae Deok Eom
Nicknamed as "The Flying Rabbit", the all-rounder from Korea was always a treat to watch out for on the rare times when he stepped forward onto the mat in the Pro Kabaddi League be it previously for Patna Pirates or for Jaipur Pink Panthers during the recent times. His unorthodox style of play which often leaves the opposition flummoxed stems from his use of techniques of Wrestling and Taekwondo in Kabaddi.
One more reason to take notice of the player who captained the bronze medal winning South Korean side at the 2014 Asian Games is his unique celebration when he is playing or his excited cheering for his playing compatriots if he is on the substitute bench. Even though he has had limited outing in Pro Kabaddi, he has gathered a total of 21 points and also won the Season 3 title with the Patna Pirates and finished as a runner-up with the Jaipur Pink Panthers in Season 4.
#5 Masayuki Shimokawa
The Japanese raid machine, Shimokawa was a part of the Japanese team that won the Asian Games bronze medal in 2010 at Guangzhou and since then he has come a long way to be the face of the Japanese Kabaddi scene.
In Pro Kabaddi, although he hasn't played much, has been a part of the training set up with U Mumba and the Jaipur Pink Panthers which has risen his game to newer levels in terms of skillset. Well, in conclusion, the fact that excites him the most is that Kabaddi pits one individual player against a group of seven, and this should be a concerning threat for the others.
