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What's the story?
Veteran left corner defender Surender Nada has been ruled out of Pro Kabaddi League 2019 because of an injury that had kept him away from the court last year as well. IANS has reported that the doctors have declared Nada unfit for the upcoming edition of PKL.
Also, the official website of Pro Kabaddi League has taken down Surender Nada's name from the Patna Pirates squad.
The background
Surender Nada established himself as one of the best defenders of the Pro Kabaddi League by performing well for U Mumba in the initial seasons. The ankle hold specialist formed an unbeatable pair with Mohit Chhillar in PKL as both the corner defenders dominated the raiders.
Statistically speaking, the left corner defender scored 243 points in 71 PKL matches. He had a not out percentage of 91.13 along with an average of 2.9 tackle points per match. Surender had moved to Haryana Steelers in season 5. After being retained by Haryana for the next season as well, Nada suffered an injury on his left hand in Haryana's first match of season 6.
He had then joined the coaching staff of the Steelers before the Patna Pirates bought him in the season seven auction.
The heart of the matter
Patna Pirates had spent a whopping 77 lakh INR to recruit Surender Nada's services. The 3-time champions possessed a stellar raiding attack but lacked a prominent name in the defense. Hence, they sought for the services of former PKL winner Surender Nada.
Giving an update on Nada's health, a source close to IANS revealed that,
"Surender has been deemed unfit by an expert team of doctors and he is still to recover fully from his injury that he sustained last season. We took multiple opinions, but unfortunately all the experts have advised him to stay off the mat."
The Bihar-based franchise has received a huge jolt due to Nada's exit. The franchise has announced that all-rounder Monu Singh will replace the injured left corner defender in the upcoming season.
What's next?
Patna Pirates open their PKL 7 campaign against Bengaluru Bulls today. It will be intriguing to see how the team lines up in the absence of Surender Nada.
