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The seventh season of the Pro Kabaddi League concluded thrillingly as first-time finalists Bengal Warriors and Dabang Delhi K.C. collided for the prestigious trophy with the former winning the summit clash by a 39-34 margin. The competition witnessed nail-biting finishes after being termed as the 'toughest season' ever in comparison to the past campaig s.
The league witnessed a lot of young and talented players who showcased their skills and made perfect use of the opportunity, hence producing exciting matches for the viewers. While the young prodigy in Naveen Kumar broke the record of most consecutive Super 10s (22) in a single season, Record-breaker Pardeep Narwal reached the milestone of crossing 1,000 raid points in the league's history.
A lot of players in Mohammad Nabibakhsh, Sumit, Pankaj Mohite, V Ajith Kumar, and Neeraj Kumar were the finds of Season 7.
A lot of veterans who were unsold in the Season 7 auction could expect to fetch massive contracts as the upcoming eighth season of the competition promises to be more competitive than before. Many franchises would be hoping to add experience to their line up in the build-up to a successful campaign ahead in Season 8.
We take a look at three unsold players who might make a comeback in the upcoming eighth season of PKL.
#3 Rohit Rana
A seasoned campaigner who played a vital role in Jaipur Pink Panthers' inaugural title-winning campaign, Rohit Rana is termed as one of the sensational defenders to have played in the Pro Kabaddi League. Rana is a hard-hitting cover defender with a perfect mix of both dashes and blocks, which can turn out to be instrumental for the success of any team.
Rohit Rana tasted decent success in his four seasons with the Jaipur Pink Panthers. However, his performance went down in the next two seasons with Telugu Titans and U Mumba and eventually failed to bag a contract in Season 7. Overall, Rohit has 136 tackle points with seven High-5s to his name.
Rana had a decent domestic season in 2019. He was a part of the Himachal Pradesh Secretariat team in the 43rd All India Civil Services Kabaddi tournament. The 32-year-old also played for BPCL as the captain, who won the trophy at the 24th PSPB Kabaddi tournament held in Mangaluru.
Despite having two off-seasons in the PKL, Rohit Rana's capability to silent big-match raiders on the mat makes him a rock-solid defender, thus might fetch a contract in the upcoming eighth season.
#2 Mahendra Ganesh Rajput
A reliable raider with his extensive reach towards the midline, Mahendra Ganesh Rajput has played for the Bengal Warriors and Gujarat Fortune Giants in the first six seasons of the league. Tagged as a do-or-die specialist, Rajput is known for turning around and saving all-outs in critical situations of the matches.
This lanky raider from Maharashtra has scored 180 raid points in his overall Pro Kabaddi career. Rajput has proven his mettle with his running hand touches and escapes, which makes it difficult for any defensive unit. Mahendra had a brilliant campaign for the Maharashtra Police kabaddi team, having led the side to win the Shivneri Seva Mandal Kabaddi tournament in late 2019.
Mahendra Rajput couldn't earn a contract in the seventh season after failing to remain fit for the league. However, many franchises could engage in a bidding war to sign him as a formidable support raider for their side in the upcoming eighth edition.
#1 Kashiling Adake
Kashiling Adake has been one of the most renowned raiders in the Pro Kabaddi League, known for winning the 'Best Raider' award back in the second season. He has crossed the 100-raid point mark thrice in the six seasons played and was the leading raid-points scorer for Dabang Delhi K.C. in the first four seasons.
The 'Kashi-missile' has bagged 561 raid points in 92 matches with an average of 6.09 raid points per game. He is the ninth best raider of PKL and has proven his credentials as one of the most versatile players to have played the game. Over the years, Kashiling has also shown a glimpse of his tackling ability and score raid points in critical raids.
Kashiling failed to gain a contract in the Season 7 auction, despite his notable contributions to Bengaluru Bulls' winning campaign back in the sixth season. However, he still has been performing well in the local kabaddi tournaments in Maharashtra and recently earned the 'Best All-rounder award' in the 24th PSPB Kabaddi tournament.
With a lot of teams failing to find a dependable raider in their line-up back in Season 7, Kashiling Adake might return to the fold with a franchise in the upcoming eighth season.
