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The Star Sports Pro Kabaddi is a unique concoction of players from all walks of the sport –Indian and foreigners, young and old. In this demanding sport, the players have to rely on experience earned on the mat to make split-second decisions that may have an effect on the outcome of the match.The second season of the franchise-based league saw plenty of youngsters who belied their age and performed beyond expectations. Here, we take a look at the best young players in the second season of the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi:
#1 Rahul Chaudhari
The 22-year-old Telugu Titans raider dazzled crowds with his athletic raids that saw him emerge as the second best raider this season. He scored a staggering 98 points, which helped his team reach the knockout stages for the first time and pip Patna Pirates to the 3rd spot.
At such a tender age, Rahul was also handed the captaincy for a few matches, but his best performances came after he relinquished the armband. The youngster, who failed to make the Indian Asian Games squad due to a passport problem, has performed admirably in both the seasons and will be in the reckoning for the national team once again.
#2 Mohit Chhillar
Despite a tender age of just 22, this youngster manned the U Mumba defence with aplomb. He narrowly missed out on the podium in the top defenders list because of an injury which ruled him out of his team's final few matches. With 39 points, the same as teammate Surender Nada, Mohit helped his team win the title, which they so narrowly missed out on last season.
Mohit hails from Indian kabaddi's hotbed – Nizampur. And going by the pedigree of the players who have come through the village – including Indian kabaddi captain Rakesh Kumar and star all rounder, Manjeet Chhillar – it wouldn't be presumptuous to say that Mohit is destined for greatness.
#3 Sandeep Kandola
At just 18-years-old, Sandeep Kandola is already a household name courtesy of a brilliant performance in the second season of the league. Brought in by Telugu Titans after impressing at the junior nationals in Kerala, the teenager did not put a foot wrong in his debut season as he helped the Titans to a 3rd place finish.
With 55 successful tackles, Sandeep emerged as the top-scoring defender in Star Sports Pro Kabaddi season two, edging out plenty of seasoned campaigners. The youngster, who is in his first year of college, hails from Budayan village in Haryana and will be looking to continue his fine form in the third season.
#4 Sandeep Narwal
The 22-year-old has been absolutely sensational for Patna Pirates in both the seasons. In the second season, however, his leadership skills came to the fore after an injury to captain Rakesh Kumar forced him to take over the armband. This brought out the best from the youngster as he scored 34 tackle points and 46 raid points in a brilliant all-round performance in the second season of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi, all while playing with an elbow injury.
Patna Pirates edged out defending champions Jaipur Pink Panthers on the final day of the group stage to qualify for the semis and this was largely thanks to Sandeep's never-say-die attitude.
#5 Kashiling Adake
Kashiling Adake was handed the Best Raider of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi award for the recently concluded season. This feat assumes even more gravitas when we look at the league table and realise that his team Dabang Delhi finished at a disappointing 6th spot. This season, the 23-year-old raider scored a mammoth 114 points – 16 ahead of his nearest competitor – in 14 matches, to continue his good run from last season, where he accumulated 113 points.
Kashi was one of Delhi's shining lights and against Telugu Titans he created a new record by scoring 24 points – the most by a player in a single match in the history of the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi. The man, who hails from Maharashtra, will be happy about his individual performance, but would be expecting more from his teammates in the third season.
