'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Raiders are undoubtedly the heart and soul of the game of Kabaddi. They are the reason why the fans are on the edge of their seats every 30 seconds. The raiders have played a huge role in the success of the Pro Kabaddi League. Legends like Anup Kumar, Rakesh Kumar have made a name for themselves via their raiding skills.
The next generation stars namely Rahul Chaudhari, Pardeep Narwal, Ajay Thakur, Pawan Sehrawat, Siddharth Desai have carried forward the raiding legacy. In every edition of PKL, tons of raiding points are scored hence, the focus of every team is to get the best raiders in their squads during the auction.
Also Read - Pro Kabaddi 2019: Records broken by teams in the past season
The auction of the seventh edition of the Pro Kabaddi League is done and dusted as all teams are prepping up for the seventh season. In this article, we will have a look at the best raider of each team.
Bengal Warriors - Maninder Singh
The muscular raider, Maninder Singh has been the backbone of Bengal Warriors ever since he became a part of the franchise. He has played 59 PKL matches in his career and has picked up 526 raid points. He has 23 Super 10s to his name. Besides, Mani also has inflicted 15 super raids in his career.
Also Read - Pro Kabaddi League 2019 Auction: Full list of players bought by Bengal Warriors
Looking at the raiding options available with Bengal Warriors, Maninder is by far the best raider of the team.
Bengaluru Bulls - Rohit Kumar
While some may argue that Pawan Sehrawat overshadowed Rohit in PKL 6, let us not forget that Rohit Kumar has over 575 raid points to his name. He has an average of 8 raid points per match and also 23 super 10s in 72 matches.
Also Read - PKL History: 5 players that teams should have never released
Kumar and Pawan will equally share the raiding responsibilities of the Bengaluru franchise but looking at the past records and numbers, Rohit is certainly the best raider Bulls have.
Dabang Delhi KC - Naveen Kumar
The young Naveen Kumar played a mega role in taking his team to the PKL play-offs for the first time ever. His 172 raid points in 22 games made him the MVP of Delhi. He had an average of 7.81 raid points per match in his debut season.
Also Read - PKL 2019: Ranking all the teams based on their Facebook followers
The capital city franchise will once again rely on the raids of Naveen to take them through in season seven.
Gujarat Fortune Giants - Sachin Tanwar
Ever since the franchise's debut, Sachin has been the face of Gujarat Fortune Giants. The Rajasthani raider has nurtured well under Manpreet Singh and with 349 raid points in 47 matches, he is by far the standout performer of the Fortune Giants.
Also Read - Pro Kabaddi League 2019: Predicted Starting Seven of Gujarat Fortune Giants
Tanwar will don the Fortune Giants jersey for the third consecutive season in 2019 and this time he will try to take his team to title victory.
Haryana Steelers - Vikash Khandola
Vikash Khandola has been the lifeblood of Haryana Steelers' raiding department. With his running hand touch skills, the former Dabang Delhi player has picked up 233 raid points in just 35 matches. His average of 6.65 raid points/ match makes him the most consistent raider in the Haryana side.
Also Read - Pro Kabaddi League 2019 Auction: List of players bought by Haryana Steelers
Khandola will have the support of Prashant Kumar Rai and Selvamani K in this year's PKL season.
Jaipur Pink Panthers - Deepak Hooda
Deepak Hooda was the lone bright spot for Jaipur Pink Panthers last year as the all-rounder kept on performing well as an individual while his team failed to support him well. Deepak is a raiding all-rounder and the fact that 710 out of his 785 points have come by raiding solidify the aforementioned statement.
Also Read - Pro Kabaddi League 2019 Auction: Full list of players bought by Jaipur Pink Panthers
Hooda will hope to continue his strong performances in the raiding department while the Jaipur fans will expect the other raiders to step up and deliver.
Patna Pirates - Pardeep Narwal
The first raider to score 800 raid points in PKL history, Pardeep Narwal will once again don the Patna Pirates jersey in PKL. His tally of raid points is unmatched by any of the other raiders. He has 44 Super 10s in his PKL career while his average raid points per match is 10.09.
Also Read - PKL 2019: Records created by teams in the past season
Narwal is a once in a lifetime player and the Patna Pirates are very lucky to have such a talented player in their squad.
Puneri Paltan - Nitin Tomar
The only issue in Nitin Tomar's prolific PKL career has been his injury issues. The raider has not been able to stay fit throughout the season and this has hurt Pune a lot. Playing in the PKL, Tomar has collected 377 raid points in the 53 matches he has played, which include 13 super 10s as well.
Also Read - Pro Kabaddi League 2019 Auction: Full list of players bought by Puneri Paltan
Pune would hope Nitin stays fit for the entire duration of PKL 7 otherwise they may find themselves in deep troubles.
Tamil Thalaivas - Rahul Chaudhari
With some huge names like Rahul Chaudhari, Shabeer Bappu and Ajay Thakur in their squad, Tamil Thalaivas have the best raiding trio in the league. Amongst the three names mentioned, Chaudhari has been the most successful raider in the PKL. The UP-born raider has picked 825 raid points in 100 PKL games.
Also Read - PKL 2019 : Predicting Tamil Thalaivas' starting seven for the initial matches
Apart from his stupendous raiding skills, his immense PKL experience will prove to be match-winning for the Chennai franchise in PKL 7.
Telugu Titans - Siddharth Desai
The most expensive player of this year's auction, Siddharth Desai has quickly become the new poster boy of the Pro Kabaddi League. In his debut season last year, Desai scored 218 raid points at an average of 10.38 raid points per match. These statistics were enough for the Telugu Titans to rope him in as the replacement of Rahul Chaudhari in the squad.
Also Read - Pro Kabaddi 2019: Predicting Telugu Titans' starting seven for the initial matches
The only worry for Telugu Titans this season will be the fitness of Siddharth because they do not have any back-up raider who can step up when Desai is out.
U Mumba - Rohit Baliyan
U Mumba lost Siddharth Desai to Telugu Titans in the auction and unfortunately they could not find a raider who can take Desai's position. They have Rohit Baliyan as their best raider in the squad. Baliyan has played 52 PKL matches. He has picked 225 raid points at an average of just above 4.
Also Read - Pro Kabaddi Season 7: Team Analysis of U Mumba
If U Mumba wish to qualify for play-offs, their defenders need to bring their A game this season.
U.P. Yoddha - Rishank Devadiga
Rishank Devadiga has been the face of the UP Yoddha franchise ever since they joined the league. Devadiga has led the team to play-offs in both the seasons and the team would wish that the Maharashtra born player performs well for them once again.
Also Read - Pro Kabaddi League 2019 : 3 Candidates for UP Yoddha's captaincy
He will have the support of Monu Goyat in season seven hence, expect Yoddhas to progress in the league once again.
Follow Sportskeeda to get the PKL Points Table, PKL Stats, PKL Results, PKL Schedule, Latest News and Updates.
