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Dabang Delhi KC will enter Pro Kabaddi 2022 as the defending champions. The Delhi-based franchise won its maiden PKL trophy last season. They edged three-time champion Patna Pirates in a nail-biting final to secure their first title.
In the last eight seasons, only one team has been able to defend its title successfully. Patna Pirates retained the title in seasons four and five after winning it for the first time in season three. They had Pardeep Narwal as their main raider in those three seasons, while Dabang Delhi KC have Naveen Kumar.
While it will be difficult for Delhi to win back-to-back two seasons, their team management has assembled a stellar squad for Pro Kabaddi 2022. They retained their main raiders Naveen Kumar and Vijay Malik and formed a new squad around them. Here's a look at the Delhi squad for PKL 9:
Naveen Kumar, Vijay Malik, Vinay Kumar, Krishan Dhull, Ashu Malik, Dipak, Manjeet, Suraj Panwar, Ashish Narwal, Sandeep Kumar Dhull, Vishal Lather, Md. Liton Ali, Reza Katoulinezhad, Amit Hooda, Anil Kumar, Ravi Kumar, Aakash, Tejas Maruti Patil, Monu and Vijay.
Dabang Delhi KC have a strong squad on paper, and here are three reasons why the defending champions could win Pro Kabaddi 2022.
#1 Naveen Kumar and Vijay Malik's combo
Naveen Kumar and Vijay Malik are one of the most dangerous pairs of raiders in Pro Kabaddi League history. They both finished in the top 15 of the raiders' leaderboard in PKL 8 and played a pivotal role in Delhi's championship win.
While Naveen scored 207 raid points in 17 matches, Vijay supported him brilliantly by scoring 157 raid points in 23 games. Before the auction, Dabang Delhi KC head coach Krishan Hooda described how important the pair are to the team's chances this season. He even labeled the two raiders as the future of Indian kabaddi.
"Vijay has played four-five seasons, Naveen has played three seasons. They are the future of India, and they will shoulder the responsibilities of Dabang Delhi KC as well. They are our trump cards. It is a matter of pride for Dabang Delhi that such talented youngsters are a part of the squad," Hooda said in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda.
#2 Corner duo of Amit Hooda and Sandeep Dhull
Dabang Delhi KC released Joginder Narwal and Sandeep Narwal before the Pro Kabaddi 2022 Auction. They roped in former Jaipur Pink Panthers defenders Amit Hooda and Sandeep Kumar Dhull as their new corners.
Hooda and Dhull have a lot of PKL experience under their belts. Left corner Dhull has scored 260 tackle points in the league, while right corner Hooda has earned 239 tackle points. If the duo fires all cylinders, it will be tough to stop Dabang Delhi KC from winning Pro Kabaddi 2022.
#3 X-factor Ravi Kumar
Many fans were surprised when Dabang Delhi KC broke the bank and signed right cover defender Ravi Kumar for ₹64.10 lakh at the Pro Kabaddi 2022 Auction. He scored only 25 tackle points last season for the Haryana Steelers.
However, fans should note that Ravi scored 52 tackle points the season before that. He also did not play in the right cover position regularly for Haryana last season. If Delhi allot him the right cover position and back him, he could prove to be a game-changer for the franchise.
