PKL 6: Why did U Mumba spend a whopping ₹42.8 lakhs on Abhishek Singh?

Day 2 of the Pro Kabaddi Season 6 auctions wasn't broadcasted live on TV to which many Kabaddi fans showed immense disappointment. They had missed an exciting bidding war on a category 'C' raider of the NYP list from Uttar Pradesh. Teams like Jaipur Pink Panthers, Tamil Thalaivas, and Gujarat Fortune Giants turned the tables into a battlefield when suddenly U Mumba came out of nowhere and signed Abhishek Singh at a whopping amount of ₹42.8 lakhs; more than big match players who have dominated the league so far like Anup Kumar, Manjeet Chhillar, and Ravinder Rahal couldn't earn.

Commentator and analyst, Suhail Chandhok was quick enough to comment on Instagram when U Mumba acquired Abhishek Singh's services and posted about it. The comment read," Great buy...Perhaps the most exciting young raider in the country..Well done..."

Rahul Chaudhari and Abhishek Singh, raiding duo of Uttar Pradesh.

Abhishek Singh's name rose from the ashes just like how a phoenix does in a wiser version of himself. It is highly anticipated on how Abhishek Singh will step up to the plate and could very well be a sensation to watch in the upcoming days.

Born in the beautiful district of Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, Abhishek Singh was born on April 3rd, 1999. In his early years when most of the children adore cricket especially in India, young Abhishek was absolutely passionate about Kabaddi. During his youth age, Abhishek Singh learned Kabaddi from the G.S. Kabaddi Academy in Khurja, Bulandshahr. His stunning performances accomplished through devoted training got him rising in the district and the state level and finally, his efforts didn't go in vain when he was handpicked to play for Uttar Pradesh in the nationals.

This flamboyant fashion geek raider had a lot of persistence to gain an attention from the team owners of PKL. Trained by Gazendar Pratap Singh who has represented as a player in U.P. Police, Abhishek also got training in Chilla village of Delhi. He caught many eyeballs when he first stepped in the Senior National Kabaddi Championship 2017-18.

He quickly formed a great partnership with the poster boy, Rahul Chaudhari. Whenever Rahul got tackled, it was Abhishek to make the save for his team and scored some invaluable do or die raid points. This raiding duo went on to unsettle the opposition and defeated BSNL and Ajay Thakur's Himachal Pradesh who took them to the quarterfinals. They lost their quarterfinal clash against Maharashtra because of lack of experience in their line up. Nevertheless, it gave an identity to his Abhishek's name.

An admirer of Ajay Thakur, Abhishek is a right raider who has the fastest reflexes on the mat in terms of raiding. He specializes in hand touches and looks to unsettle the defense with his quick shuffle across the opponent's court. His jumps over the defenders are glorious to watch and his long legs allow him to take bonuses swiftly. A complete all in all raider who has all the contemporary raiding ability.

Abhishek Singh also had a spectacular outing in the Federation Cup 2018 and All India National Style Kabaddi Championship 2018. In a rematch versus Maharashtra in the Federation Cup, Abhishek single- handedly avenged his loss with 12 points to his tally. His frog jump over the diving ankle hold effort of Ruturaj Koravi was the pinnacle move that most of the fans will be eyeing to witness.

U Mumba has been termed on having less skill and experience in the raiding unit in Season 6 by the fans and analysts as well. However, they have invested in a young agile raider whom people are yet to know. Gujarat had the mix of bedrock defense and fresh-minded raiders, their strategy took them to the finals. With Abhishek Singh as a new arrival, fans can envision the same for U Mumba as well.