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As India gears up for the Asian Kabaddi Championships due to be held in Iran later this month, the 36 men are sweating it out in the coaching camp being held at Sonepat which will see lest than half of them making it to the final squad which will travel to Iran.
While the squad comprises of some stalwarts who are coming out of a wonderful season of the Pro Kabaddi League, there are some players who have made a surprise entry into the list of probables.
Here are five such players who have been given a chance at being picked for the competition although they are coming into the camp at the back of a dismal performance in the recently concluded PKL.
#5 Rohit Baliyan
The lanky raider was part of the Dabang Delhi setup in season five of the Pro Kabaddi League but did not feature in a lot number of games with the likes of Anand Patil and Sriram being preferred over Baliyan.
In season 4, Baliyan was due to be part of the Bengaluru Bulls squad but did not play a single game owing to injuries and in the fifth season, he did start in few games but was not consistent.
From the 17 games he played, Baliyan managed to pick up only 65 raid points and his inclusion with the likes of Pardeep Narwal, Rohit Kumar amongst others is surely a surprise.
#4 Ajay Kumar
Expected to play second fiddle to skipper Rohit Kumar while representing the Bengaluru Bulls, Ajay Kumar performed well in an initial couple of matches before fading away once the tournament reached the middle stage.
A do-or-die specialist, Ajay played in all the Bulls' fixtures of the fifth season but his returns did not play up to his standards, picking up only 89 raid points from 22 games. His inefficiency at times meant that extra pressure was added on to skipper Rohit Kumar's shoulders.
#3 Ashish Kumar Sangwan
In a surprise move from the Bulls management, young all-rounder Ashish Kumar was retained by coach Randhir Singh with him showing a lot of promise in the seasons prior. However, Ashish left his coach high and dry with inconsistent performances right through the season that hurt the Bulls' campaign.
Playing the role of a central defender and at times in the cover position, the youngster had his moments but with 32 points from 20 games, it did not paint a pretty picture and as the season progressed, he lost his place in the starting seven.
#2 Sachin Shingade
For a man who has built a huge reputation as one of the leading defenders in the Pro Kabaddi League, Sachin's dismal performance in PKL 5 did not go unnoticed.
26 points from 22 games indeed did not paint a pretty picture for Sachin at the end of the season although he happened to lift the trophy in the Patna outfit. Right through the season, the left cover put in hasty tackles and holds albeit he did enjoy some crucial moments in his favour.
However, despite his woeful form, his authoritative influence from the first four seasons of the PKL might have seen him being given a shot at selection for the championships.
#1 K Prapanjan
Playing second best to Ajay Thakur at the Thalaivas, Prapanjan started the fifth season of the PKL in good stead, putting in strong raids to complement skipper Ajay and take Thalaivas to a position of strength.
However, after a couple of wins, Prapanjan's poor run of form saw Thalaivas lose any momentum they had gained as they succumbed to a bottom of the table finish.
From 22 matches, Prapanjan picked 124 raid points and although he did shine at some stages, his inability to strike big at crucial junctions affected the outcome of the matches the Thalaivas contested in the whole season.
Going in for the do-or-die raids, the tall raider was pinned down frequently which meant that Ajay had to take up a lot more stress and take Thalaivas to safety. In the end, it was all too much as the debutants crashed out in the group stages.
