Pro Kabaddi 2019: 5 raiding combinations to watch out for

A brand new season of Pro Kabaddi League is set to start from July 20th this year as the twelve teams in the fray look to put their best foot forward in their surge for the title.

For some years now, Pro Kabaddi has been a major source of entertainment for sports lovers across the country. The adrenalin-pumping raids and vicious tackles have all led to PKL becoming one of the most popular competitions in India.

Raiding is one department in the game of kabaddi which has the ability to alter the proceedings of a much in just a few minutes. Although defending is equally important, it is the skills of the raiders in the team which could help a team dominate and also win a game from unlikely situations.

Hence, teams often invest heavily in procuring the services of raiders and after six seasons of the league, we have arrived at the situation where almost every team is well-balanced in its raiding department.

On that note, here are 5 raiding combinations that have the ability to make this season an extremely interesting one.

#5 Naveen Kumar and Chandran Ranjith (Dabang Delhi)

Naveen Kumar will yet again try to take Delhi through to the playoffs with his performances

In season 6, the duo wreaked havoc on the opposition teams as they scored a combined 325 raid points last season. This duo will continue their partnership in the upcoming season and they will hope to repeat their achievements from the previous season.

Both these players are young and although a lot of experience is not on their side, unpredictability and mobility on the mat could work to their advantage. A number of veterans of the game such as Meraj Sheykh, Ravinder Pahal, and Joginder Narwal would be present on the mat to guide these youngsters and hence, this duo could well do wonders in the upcoming season.

#4 Pardeep Narwal and Jang Kun Lee (Patna Pirates)

This time around, Pardeep will have support in the raiding department

It is no doubt that Pardeep Narwal is probably the best raider in the country right now. The man from Haryana has been doing well for his team since the last four seasons and going by what we have seen of him in the last few years, he is likely to be unstoppable in the upcoming season as well.

However, Patna Pirates could be more dangerous next season because of the unique and dangerous partnership that they have managed to set up. Korea's Jang Kun Lee will be paired up with Pardeep for the upcoming season.

Although the Korean had an underwhelming campaign last season, his agility and tall frame can never be ignored. Hence, with Pardeep by his side, Jang Kun Lee could be all the more efficient and in the process, could give rise to a formidable partnership.

#3 Rishank Devadiga and Monu Goyat (UP Yoddha)

Rishank Devadiga will have a key role to play for UP

UP Yoddha have one of the strongest raiding units in the competition. Comprising the likes of Rishank Devadiga, Monu Goyat, Shrikant Jadhav and Mohsen Maghsoudlou in the raiding department, this team will never be short of raiding strength in the upcoming season.

However, to help the team cross the playoff barrier, the fans will be hoping that the highly talented duo of Rishank Devadiga and Monu Goyat will come good.

With exactly 100 raid points last season, Rishank's performance in season 6 was way below his standards. However, with a strong raiding unit behind him, the Maharastra player could play with a lot more freedom this time around.

His 'Do-or-Die' raids will yet again prove to be useful for his squad and with a complete raider like Monu Goyat in the squad, this partnership could devise an organized way of demolishing opposition defenses with their raids.

Monu was the most expensive player last season and he triggered a similar, yet slightly lesser bid in the season 7 auctions as well. With a decent score of 160 raid points in season 6, Goyat could be tasked with carrying the responsibility of securing the maximum raid points for his squad in the upcoming season.

#2 Rohit Kumar and Pawan Sehrawat (Bengaluru Bulls)

After the end of season 6 auctions, many felt Bengaluru Bulls coach had pulled off a coup by pairing Rohit Kumar with veteran Kashiling Adike. However, a few months later, it was an unlikely partnership that had led Bengaluru Bulls to its maiden Pro Kabaddi League trophy.

Pawan Kumar Sehrawat had been a Bengaluru Bulls player in the past and season 6 was a comeback to the squad. The young lad made use of all the opportunities that were given to him as he became the highest scorer in the League. With 282 points in his kitty, Pawan also took home the MVP award from the season. More importantly, he made sure the Bulls never had to worry about captain Rohit Kumar's inconsistent form.

171 points was still a decent achievement by the captain and he will be raring to go in the upcoming season. Rohit is a good reader of the match situation and with a calm head on the mat and a fiery Sehrawat set to form a partnership yet again, this could well be a winning alliance.

#1 Ajay Thakur and Rahul Chaudhari (Tamil Thalaivas)

This duo could be difficult to contend with

No other team in the history of the Pro Kabaddi League might have had the number of superstars in the squad than the Tamil Thalaivas squad which will be participating in the upcoming season. With Ajay Thakur, Rahul Chaudhari, Mohit Chhillar, Ran Singh and Manjeet Chhillar in the squad, the franchise might have already taken a step into the playoffs.

However, it is the Ajay Thakur - Rahul Chaudhari partnership which could be giving sleepless nights to many of the opposition defenders. Both these players have destroyed many teams with their performances in the past and their partnership could indeed steer the Thalaivas to their maiden title win.

While Rahul was slightly off-color last season, Ajay crossed the 200-point mark. These two players have a wealth of experience behind them and it is likely that the duo could end up wreaking havoc in season 7.

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