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After a long wait for two years, the Pro Kabaddi League is finally back for its eighth edition as PKL Auction 2021 will take place from 29th to 31st August in Mumbai. The proceedings for the mega-event have already commenced with the confirmation of a mega-auction, where many star players are set to go under the hammer.
A total of 59 players have been retained ahead of the PKL Auction 2021, consisting of 22 Elite Retained Players (ERP), six in the Retained Young Players (RYP), while 31 New Young Players (NYP) have been retained as well.
A couple of player releases have raised eyebrows ahead of the PKL Auction 2021, and in this article, we take a look at 5 players who have been shockingly released ahead of the PKL 8 auction.
#5 Vishal Bhardwaj (Telugu Titans)
Vishal Bhardwaj has been the Telugu Titans' ace left corner defender since PKL 4, when he first joined the team. The Himachal Pradesh-born Bhardwaj had a breakout campaign in the fifth edition as he stamped his authority with 71 tackle points, the third-most tally that season.
He continued his stellar form with 60 and 62 tackle points in Season 6 and 7 respectively. Notably, Vishal is the only defender in history to score 60 or more tackle points in three seasons consecutively, and his release from the Titans' squad ahead of the PKL Auction 2021 is indeed a surprise.
#4 Rohit Kumar (Bengaluru Bulls)
Rohit Kumar has captained Bengaluru Bulls since the fourth season, and since then, he's been the face of the one-time PKL champions. The team clinched their first-ever title in Season 6 under his leadership, which cemented his name as one of the finest captains in the PKL.
Rohit has amassed 568 raid points for the Bangalore-based franchise, making him the second-best performer for Bengaluru Bulls in their storied history, one spot behind Pawan Sehrawat (673). However, the 31-year-old couldn't perform well in the previous edition, scoring only 94 raid points in 19 matches at an average of 4.94. Yet, many young players have managed to grab the spotlight under his captaincy, proving his credibility as one of PKL's biggest stars.
Teams will be looking to add the star raider to their line-up as Rohit Kumar goes under the hammer at the upcoming PKL Auction 2021.
#3 Siddharth Desai (Telugu Titans)
Also known as Bahubali, Siddharth Desai has stamped his authority as one of the most talented raiders in the PKL, within just two seasons in the league. Having represented U Mumba and the Telugu Titans in the past, the Maharashtra-based raider has registered 435 raid points in 43 matches at an astounding average of 10.11 per game.
Siddharth Desai started his career with 15 raid points on debut for U Mumba, and then went on to become the fastest player to score 50 and 100 raid points in PKL history. He scored 218 raid points in Season 6 and continued his impressive form with 217 raid points for the Telugu Titans, underlining his impact as a top-flight raider.
Surprisingly, the Telugu Titans have released their talismanic raider despite single-handedly leading the raiding department in PKL 7. He could be one of the top buys in the PKL Auction 2021.
#2 Deepak Niwas Hooda (Jaipur Pink Panthers)
Perhaps the most successful all-rounder in PKL history, Deepak Niwas Hooda is the third-highest scorer with 943 total points to his name. The 27-year-old has represented the Telugu Titans, Puneri Paltan, and Jaipur Pink Panthers, where he has been consistent every season.
After exhibiting a masterclass in both offense and defense for the Titans and Paltan, Hooda moved to the Jaipur Pink Panthers and was made the captain mid-season in PKL 6. He led the team from the front, scoring 196 raid points in Season 6. However, due to injury concerns, the left raiding all-rounder only managed 146 points in PKL 7, and the Pink Panthers finished a lowly 7th spot on the Pro Kabaddi points table.
Hooda, currently the captain of the Indian kabaddi team, is rated as one of the best all-rounders in the sport, and his release from the Pink Panthers' squad has come with a fair share of question marks over the move.
#1 Pardeep Narwal (Patna Pirates)
'Record-breaker' Pardeep Narwal is the biggest name to miss out on from the retention list ahead of the PKL Auction 2021. He has been Patna Pirates' most valuable find ever since making his debut in the green jersey back in PKL 3. He has taken the kabaddi world by storm, with his numbers heroing his dominance in the Pro Kabaddi League.
Led by Pardeep's heroics, Patna Pirates managed to clinch three consecutive PKL titles from Season 3 to 5. Pardeep is the first raider in history to score 1,000 raid points and currently has 1,160 raid points with 59 Super-10s under his belt. The Haryana-based raider has recorded the most raid points (369) in a single season in the PKL and the most in a single raid (8), which came during his time with Patna Pirates.
The Patna Pirates' decision to let go of their skipper and the league's best raider has certainly come as a shock, and one can expect Pardeep to earn a fat contract at the PKL Auction 2021.
