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Pro Kabaddi 2022 will start in three weeks with a Triple Panga at the Shree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru. It will be the ninth edition of the league. Looking at the squads that have been assembled for this season, it should not be a surprise if PKL 9 is the most thrilling tournament in the league's history.
The Pro Kabaddi 2022 auction took place last month in Mumbai and teams purchased kabaddi stars from across the world for crores of rupees. Raiders were among the top earners at the PKL Auction.
The reason behind the high demand for the raiders was that they can change the game in a matter of a few minutes. Over the years, fans have witnessed raiders like Rahul Chaudhari, Rishank Devadiga, Anup Kumar, Pardeep Narwal, Pawan Sehrawat and others turn the game on its head in a short span of time.
Every season, fans witness an intense race among players to win the Best Raider of the Tournament award. Before Pro Kabaddi 2022 begins, here's a list of the top five contenders to win the prize this season.
#1 Pawan Sehrawat, Tamil Thalaivas
Pawan Sehrawat has been the top raider in the Pro Kabaddi League's last three seasons. Playing for Bengaluru Bulls, Pawan scored heaps of raid points consistently and helped his franchise achieve enormous success in the league.
Sehrawat was the only raider to cross the 300 raid points mark last season. It will be interesting to see if Pawan Sehrawat can continue in the same vein when he dons the Tamil Thalaivas jersey for the first time in his PKL career.
#2 Arjun Deshwal, Jaipur Pink Panthers
Arjun Deshwal gave a tough challenge to Pawan Sehrawat in the raiders' race to the top last season. He eventually finished second with 267 raid points from 22 matches.
Fans should note that Deshwal played two games fewer than Pawan because Jaipur Pink Panthers did not qualify for the playoffs. Deshwal will be keen to help Jaipur win the title this year and also finish at the helm of the Pro Kabaddi 2022 raiders' leaderboard.
#3 Maninder Singh, Bengal Warriors
Maninder Singh has been one of the most consistent raiders in PKL history. He has regularly been in the race to win the Best Raider award but the Bengal Warriors star has never won the prize.
After finishing third last season, Maninder will look forward to performing even better and winning the Best Raider award in Pro Kabaddi 2022.
#4 Pardeep Narwal, UP Yoddhas
UP Yoddhas star Pardeep Narwal struggled for consistency in season eight. Despite his disappointing show in some games, Pardeep finished with 188 raid points from 24 matches.
Any kabaddi fan who has followed Pardeep's career would know that a comeback from The Record Breaker is just around the corner. It would not be a surprise if Pardeep reclaims his place at the top of the leaderboard in Pro Kabaddi 2022.
#5 Naveen Kumar, Dabang Delhi KC
Naveen Kumar finished fourth on the raiders' leaderboard last season although he missed seven matches because of injury. Kumar scored 207 raid points in just 17 matches, helping Dabang Delhi KC win the title.
If Naveen manages to stay fit throughout the season in Pro Kabaddi 2022, he could win the Best Raider award for the first time in his career.
