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Towards the end of July last year, there was a lot of excitement in the air with the fifth season of the Pro Kabaddi League set to take centre stage, with twelve teams having worked hard ahead of the season in order to go all the way and clinch the title.
Fast forward to the present, the atmosphere is already buzzing with excitement, as the mega auctions, ahead of the sixth season is set to take place on the 30th and 31st of May 2018 in Mumbai.
Even before the auction kickstarts on the day, there have been a lot of questions raised on the various retentions and the absence of some prominent names on the list with teams opting to go for some surprise retentions while the Jaipur Pink Panthers have opted for a complete revamp of their squad.
Ahead of the auctions, here are five defenders who might fetch a huge sum of money.
#5 Abozar Mighani
The burly Iranian made a huge mark in his debut season with the Gujarat Fortunegiants and guarding the right corner, Abozar made life extremely difficult for the best of raiders in the competition.
From 24 matches, Abozar collected a total of 66 points, of which 65 were tackle points as he finished the season as Gujarat's best defender, eclipsing skipper Fazel Athrachali in the Gujarat setup.
Fearless and always in the mood for the kill, Abozar's good run of form took Gujarat all the way to the finals of the competition, and in the upcoming auctions, one can expect the Iranian to fetch a fat contract.
#4 Vishal Bharadwaj
Fast and agile on the left corner, Vishal Bharadwaj proved to be the Telugu Titans' defensive lynchpin right through the season which further raised eyebrows when his name did not pop up on the list of retentions made by the Men in yellow.
The 21-year old's quick thinking and powerful tackle brought him a heap of points, a total of 71 points from 22 matches played which saw him finish third on the list of most tackle points throughout the season.
A constant presence in the Titans' setup, his combination with Sombir on the right corner proved to be tough to handle for opposition defenders and with his show in the previous season, the youngster can be expected to land a big contract at the auctions.
#3 Fazel Athrachali
One of Pro Kabaddi League's icon foreign players alongside Meraj Sheykh, Fazel Athrachali's smiling presence on the left corner for U Mumba, Patna Pirates and most recently the Gujarat Fortunegiants has not gone unnoticed.
Retained as the priority pick ahead of the fifth season by Gujarat, the ace defender also led the team for a couple of matches and enjoyed a decent season individually, amassing 57 tackle points from 24 matches and playing the perfect support cast to Gujarat's rampaging defence unit.
From four seasons in the PKL now, Fazel has transformed into one of the best defenders in the league and has a total of 152 tackle points from 56 games, and with his knack to brush away with ridiculous ease, his services can be expected to be procured at a high price.
#2 Mohit Chhillar
Ahead of the fourth season of the Pro Kabaddi League, Mohit Chhillar grabbed the headlines as he emerged as the costliest defender from the season, bagged for a whopping 53 lakh rupees by the Bengaluru Bulls, a price which he justified as he finished third-best on the defenders' list, with 47 points from 14 games.
For the fifth season, Chhillar shifted to the Haryana Steelers to continue his famous alliance with Surender Nada with whom Chhillar has played all through his PKL career.
While he did not have the best of seasons to start with, Chhillar regained his form in the fag end of the season as he finished with 42 points from 20 matches.
With buckets of experience having played for India and also five seasons in the lucrative league, Mohit Chhillar can certainly expect teams to keep aside a big sum of money for the talented defender.
However, the question remains - Will he continue his association with Nada?
#1 Surender Nada
Easily one of Pro Kabaddi League's most decorated defenders of all time, Surender Nada's terrifying presence on the left corner has proved to be the undoing of some of the best raiders in the competition.
A constant performer right through the five seasons of the league, Nada's impressive stint with U Mumba in the first couple of seasons earned him a contract with the Bengaluru Bulls in the fourth season alongside Mohit Chhillar and although he had a disappointing season, Nada was picked by the Haryana Steelers for the fifth season and was also given the responsibility to lead the side.
Nada had a stellar season, finishing as the top defender with 80 tackle points from 21 matches as he led the Steelers to the eliminators stage until they succumbed to the might of the Patna Pirates.
With a lot of experience under his belt and an ability to win matches single-handedly, teams can be expected to break the bank in order to procure Nada's services.
