India will be the favourites to win the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup, to be held at The Arena by TransStadia in Ahmedabad, India. A victory at home will mean that India can win a hattrick of title as they have previously won the World Cup in 2004 and 2007 as well.
India have been paired with five other teams in Pool A – England, Australia, Bangladesh, South Korea and Argentina. The last two editions have seen India winning the final match in a convincing fashion, and they are again expected to retain their title.
We take a look at the 14-member Indian team which will take part in the tournament:
#1 Anup Kumar (Captain)
Position: Raider
Pro Kabaddi League team: U Mumba
Anup Kumar is the captain of the Indian national team as well as his Pro Kabaddi league team, U Mumba. The Indian hails from the state of Haryana where he started playing the sport as a hobby and is now considered as one of the best raiders in kabaddi’s history. The 32-year old had joined the CRPF in 2005, where he practiced the sport, and later went on to represent India for the first time at the 2006 South Asian Games in Sri Lanka.
Anup went on to win two Asian Games gold medals with the Indian national kabaddi team in 2010 and 2014. He won the Most Valuable Player award in the first season of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League.
#2 Ajay Thakur
Position: Raider
Pro Kabaddi League team: Puneri Paltan
Ajay Thakur is one of the few senior players who have been chosen to feature in the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup for India. The Indian raider had first won gold with the national team at the 2007 Asian Indoor Games and has since been a regular in the team. He has also played at 2014 Asian Games where India bagged a gold. Ajay, with his experience, has won numerous medals including golds medals at the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games 2013, and the 2014 Asian Games.
In Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League, Thakur currently plays for has played for two teams – Bengaluru Bulls and Puneri Paltan.
#3 Deepak Hooda
Position: All-Rounder
Pro Kabaddi League team: Puneri Paltan
Deepak Hooda hails from the small town of Chamaria, near Rohtak, and has had to fight a lot of odds to reach the stage where he stands now. Hooda has been playing professionally for the last 6 years, two of which have been in Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League with the Puneri Paltan franchise. Recently, the all-rounder has been a part of the Indian squad at the 2016 South Asian Games where India won the gold medal.
A fierce all-rounder, he is known for his powerful raids and solid defensive qualities. He will be a formidable addition to the Indian team for the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup.
#4 Dharmaraj Cheralathan
Position: Defender
Pro Kabaddi League team: Patna Pirates
Dharmaraj Cheralathan, who is fondly referred to as Anna by his team mates, is one of the best kabaddi defenders at the age of 41. He had played for the Bengaluru Bulls in the first two seasons of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League, and made the shift to Telugu Titans side in the third season. His performances led him to play for Patna Pirates in the fourth season of the league where he emerged as the winning captain.
Cheralathan is an expert at both the right and left corner of the mat, accumulating several tackles under his belt across four seasons. Having represented India and Railways, the Indian defender is one of the true greats to have played the sport as he has won many national laurels over a long, and esteemed career.
#5 Jasvir Singh
Position: Raider
Pro Kabaddi League team: Jaipur Pink Panthers
Jasvir Singh is the talismanic captain of Jaipur Pink Panthers team in Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League. He was a member of the national team that had won the gold medal at the 2014 Asian Games. His raiding skills had helped his side in winning the inaugural season of the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League in 2014. The 32-year old raider is the face of the Jaipur outfit and has taken them to great heights in the league.
After a drop in performances in the second and third season, Jasvir bounced back in the fourth season to lead his side to the finals. He is known to be a bit of a maverick and surprises opponents with the dangerous scorpion kick.
#6 Kiran Parmar
Position: All-Rounder
Pro Kabaddi League team: Bengaluru Bulls
Kiran Parmar is an experienced all-rounder who represented Bengaluru Bulls in Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League. Born on 10th February, 1985, Parmar started his Kabaddi career fairly young by representing his schools in nationals tournament. An injury in the first season of the League saw him miss most of the later seasons as he was recovering from the injury.
However, the all-rounder has made a comeback into the Indian side, where he will play as a specialist in left corner touch. Kiran Parmar will be a key addition to the Indian team for the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup.
#7 Manjeet Chhillar
Position: All-Rounder
Pro Kabaddi League team: Puneri Paltan
The 30-year old all-rounder started his Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League career with the Bengaluru Bulls in the first season. Manjeet played the first two seasons for the Bengaluru outfit but was picked up by Puneri Paltan for the next two seasons of the league. He has proved to be an outstanding addition for Puneri Paltan and has helped the team reach the semi-finals in Season 4 of the league. He is regarded as one of the best allrounders in kabaddi as his sheer strength is there for all to see when he makes his tackles. He is equally famous for his powerful raids. In his league career so far, the all-rounder has scored more than 400 points in the 59 matches he has played in.
#8 Mohit Chhillar
Position: Defender
Pro Kabaddi League team: U Mumba
In Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League’s season one, Mohit Chhillar made a mark for himself with the U Mumba team. Defending the right corner, Chhillar made himself a critical part of the team’s defence and continued his unshakable form throughout season two of the league as well. He went ahead and became the most expensive player for Season 4 of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi league auctions. Hailing from Nizampur, Chhillar is employed with the North Western Railway. He has been playing kabaddi like many of his contemporaries and friends from his town, and has pursued the sport since childhood. He has played at the SGFI (School Games Federation of India) and will be a key asset for the Indian national team.
#9 Nitin Tomar
Position: All-Rounder
Pro Kabaddi League team: Puneri Paltan
The 21-year-old has recently emerged as a shining new star on the Indian Kabaddi scene. The youngster has a Services background which explains his love for the sport of kabaddi which has seen him develop into a perfect talent over the years. With an array of kicks and impressive athletic ability, Nitin has become one of the most exciting and valuable players in Indian Kabaddi and for Star Sports Pro Kabaddi league.
He plays for the Puneri Paltan franchise in the League and will be a key player for the national team at the upcoming World Cup.
#10 Pardeep Narwal
Position: Raider
Pro Kabaddi League team: Patna Pirates
Pardeep Narwal plays for the Patna Pirates team in the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League. He had started his league career with the Bengaluru Bulls. The youngster hails from Haryana, a state that has produced a large number of talented kabaddi players over the years. Pirates’ 19-year old raider has been one of the brightest players in the League, finishing season 4 as the most valuable player of the tournament, leading his team to a second consecutive Pro Kabaddi title.
In only 38 appearances in the league so far, he has amassed a mammoth 256 raid points. He is rapidly making strides in becoming one of the best raiders in the world.
#11 Rahul Chaudhari
Position: Raider
Pro Kabaddi League team: Telugu Titans
Rahul Chaudhari is the captain of Telugu Titans side in the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League. He is the most prolific raider in the tournament’s history with a total of 482 raid points in just 57 League matches. He has been with the Titans for all four seasons of the league. For the national team, Chaudhari has won the gold medal at the 2016 South Asian Games. The 23-year old raider is known for his sheer speed and agility, often having the ability to decide entire games on his own. With 24 Super 10s to his name, Rahul maybe the undisputed king of the raiders.
#12 Sandeep Narwal
Position: All-Rounder
Pro Kabaddi League team: Telugu Titans
Sandeep Narwal is a Telugu Titans player from Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League but had been the mainstay for the Patna Pirates side for the first three seasons. However, he was not retained by the outfit and was eventually bought by the Telugu Titans in the fourth season of the league. The 23-year old is considered an all-rounder but his forte seems to be defending. He has amassed 161 tackle points in the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi league so far, making him one of the league’s best defenders. Along with tackling, Narwal is also competent in the raiding department where he has scored 171 raid points in 62 games. Sandeep Narwal was also adjudged ‘Best Defender’ of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League in season three.
#13 Surender Nada
Position: Defender
Pro Kabaddi League team: Bengaluru Bulls
Surender Nada is regarded as one of the best Left Corner defenders in Kabaddi. The Indian defender has developed a reputation as an ‘ankle hold’ specialist which has left many a raider helpless. The 29-year-old star defender hails from Haryana and has played for both U Mumba and Bengaluru Bulls franchises. With his natural skill and passion for the sport, Surender is sure to make his mark when called upon by the national team at the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup.
#14 Surjeet
Position: Defender
Pro Kabaddi League team: U Mumba
Surjeet is a defender who plays for U Mumba in the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League. The young Indian has shown that he can be a valuable part of any team, be it at the domestic level or the international level. He recently won the gold medal for India at the South Asian Games. Surjeet is a versatile defender who can play in multiple positions for his team, he has a powerful block in his arsenal and often uses it to great effect with his keen sense of timing.
A stalwart in defence for the Services Kabaddi team, Surjeet can play a strategic role when called upon. India will be hoping that the defender can deliver when needed at the World Cup.
