PKL 2019: Top 5 all-rounders to watch out for

A brand new edition of the Pro Kabaddi League is all set to kick off from the 20th of July at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad, with the hosts Telugu Titans set to take on U Mumba in the opening fixture.

Pro Kabaddi 2019 will see a double-robin round format with no zonal or interzonal matches in this edition. Twelve teams will compete against each other in the three-month long format, with the final to be played out in October.

The season 7 auctions took place on the 8th and 9th of April as the 'best debutant' from PKL 6, Siddharth Sirish Desai, became the costliest player after the Telugu Titans shelled out a massive amount of ₹145 lakh for his services.

On the other hand, Rahul Chaudhari, who had represented the Titans ever since the inception of the league was roped in by the Tamil Thalaivas for ₹94 lakh.

On the all-rounders front, Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibaksh became the costliest foreign player after Bengal Warriors sealed his services for ₹77.75 lakh while Sandeep Narwal was signed up by U Mumba for ₹89 lakh.

Now that PKL 2019 is barely a few days away, let us have a look at the top five all-rounders to watch out for in the much anticipated season:

#5. Sandeep Narwal - U Mumba

Sandeep Narwal has been a part of the Pro Kabaddi League since the inaugural season, when he turned out for the Patna Pirates. A man who wears his heart on his sleeve, Sandeep is one among the most distinguished names such as Ajay Thakur, Manjeet Chillar, Anup Kumar and Rakesh Kumar.

He was made the captain of the Patna Pirates in the second season, despite his little experience and yet, he made the most of his opportunity. Till date, Sandeep has 483 points in 101 matches. Sandeep's game ability to turn the game around, with either his raiding or defending has won a lot of praise over the years.

Narwal had a massive role in leading Pirates to the season 3 trophy and has also had a massive impact while playing for the Telugu Titans and Puneri Paltan. With 66 points to show from 18 matches, Sandeep had a good showing with the Paltan but was released from the squad.

For the upcoming season, Sandeep will be seen partnering with Fazel Atrachali in the corner position. With U Mumba slightly weak in terms of the raiding unit, Sandeep could be expected to put on an all-round show.

#4 Ran Singh - Tamil Thalaivas

The power-packed, agile Ran Singh made a brilliant debut in the first season of the Pro Kabaddi League for the Jaipur Pink Panthers. One of the most hard-working players in the league, Singh was one of the most important players who led his team to the inaugural title.

Hailing from Punjab, Ran is an expert in blocks and dashes which adds extra pressure on the raiders to challenge him for a point, as his prowess from the left corner has earned him quire a name. In season 3, he was the most successful defender for the Jaipur Pink Panthers with 21 tackle points.

Singh has notched up 289 points in 99 matches till date. He was also a part of Bengal Warriors for season 5 and season 6, and in partnership with Surjeet Singh and Maninder Singh, took the Warriors into the playoffs.

#3 Vijay Malik - Dabang Delhi

Vijay Malik made his Pro Kabaddi League debut with the Patna Pirates in season 5 and played through season 6 as well. For the upcoming season he has been signed to Dabang delhi for 41 lakhs.Although he featured only as a support raider to Pardeep Narwal and Monu Goyat, Vijay mastered the art of fetching points in crucial moments, a feature which led his team to a title win.

For season 6, Patna opted to retain his services and he lived up to the reputation and expectations of being a big game player, notching up 73 points from 21 matches. From two seasons, Vijay has scored 137 points in 40 matches.

During the season 7 auctions, Dabang Delhi invested high on the all-rounder, shelling out ₹41 lakh to procure his services. With the franchise looking to better their performance from last season, Vijay's all-round show will be a key factor.

#2 Meraj Sheykh - Dabang Delhi

Burly Iranian all-rounder Meraj Sheykh made a cracking debut in the second season of the Pro Kabaddi League for the Telegu Titans. Considered as one of the finest players from the global circuit, Meraj made an impression with his runninghand touches and scorpion kicks.

Meraj played for the Titans till the third season of the league before making a shift to play for the Dabang Delhi. A torch-bearer for his team, Meraj led the team in season 5 and was in fine form, notching up 104 points from 20 matches, playing primarily as a raider.

He has scored a total of 362 points in 82 matches, which is quite impressive for a foreign player. Having made a major impact across two seasons with Delhi, it is no surprise that the team management opted to retain his services. With a host of experienced stars in the squad, Meraj can be expected to make a serious impact.

#1 Deepak Niwas Hooda - Jaipur Pink Panthers

Deepak Niwas Hooda made his debut in the first season of the Pro Kabaddi League for the Telugu Titans. One of the best finds of the PKL, over the years, Hooda has proved his worth as one of the world's best all-rounders.

Having featured for teams such as the Titans, Puneri Paltan and Jaipur Pink Panthers in the past, he has mastered a number of skills and is capable of winning matches single-handedly.

With acres of experience under his belt, Hooda was named as the captain of the Pink Panthers as part of PKL 6 and although his team could not make it into the playoffs, Hooda had a terrific season, picking up 208 points from 22 matches.

Till date, this top-class all-rounder has gathered 785 points in 103 matches and was rightly retained by the Pink Panthers ahead of season 7. With the Pink Panthers searching for an elusive trophy, Hooda's proficiency will be an 'X-factor'.

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