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Pro Kabaddi 2022 will get underway on October 7. Last month, the 12 teams participated in the PKL 9 auction, where they stacked up their squads with some big names. Players like Fazel Atrachali, Guman Singh, Pawan Sehrawat and Vikash Khandola earned contracts worth more than ₹1 crore.
On the other hand, there were some veteran players who went unsold as well. A few star players decided not to register themselves for the Pro Kabaddi 2022 auction, bringing an end to their legendary PKL careers.
PKL started in 2014, and for the first time since the tournament's inception, the following five names will not be in action during the competition.
#1 Manjeet Chhillar is the assistant coach of Telugu Titans in Pro Kabaddi 2022
Manjeet Chhillar was a member of the Dabang Delhi KC squad that won the Pro Kabaddi League season eight. Chhillar played an important role in the team's success, shouldering the responsibilities in the defensive unit.
For the record, Chhillar has scored 391 tackle points in his career - the most by any defender in Pro Kabaddi League history. He retired from PKL after the eighth season and joined the Telugu Titans as an assistant coach.
#2 Jeeva Kumar is the assistant coach of UP Yoddhas for Pro Kabaddi 2022
Another veteran defender who won PKL 8 with Dabang Delhi KC to feature on the list is Jeeva Kumar. The seasoned pro brought the curtains down on his career and joined UP Yoddhas as an assistant coach.
Kumar has played 136 matches in his PKL career, earning 258 points. He registered five High 5s and executed 23 super tackles. It will be exciting to see how he performs in his new role this season.
#3 Ajay Thakur
Ajay Thakur played five matches for Dabang Delhi KC last season before suffering an injury. He missed the majority of the matches because of his injury issues.
Thakur had a legendary PKL career where he represented Bengaluru Bulls, Puneri Paltan and Tamil Thalaivas before joining Delhi. Overall, Thakur has scored 816 points in 120 matches, with 794 of those points coming in the raiding department.
#4 Rishank Devadiga
Rishank Devadiga was with the Bengal Warriors last season, but the star raider did not get enough chances to showcase his talent. Devadiga came into the limelight with his consistent performances for U Mumba in the first few PKL seasons. He won the second edition of PKL with the Mumbai-based franchise.
After leaving U Mumba, Rishank had a successful stint with the UP Yoddhas. However, his injury issues led to his downfall, and none of the teams showed interest in him for Pro Kabaddi 2022.
#5 Dharamraj Cheralathan
Veteran defender Dharamraj Cheralathan played for the Jaipur Pink Panthers in the previous Pro Kabaddi season. He earned two points in five matches. Before joining Jaipur, Cheralathan represented Haryana Steelers, Telugu Titans, Bengaluru Bulls, Puneri Paltan, U Mumba and Patna Pirates in the league.
Cheralathan won the title with Patna in season four. Across eight seasons, he has scored 261 tackle points in 123 matches. He recorded 12 High 5s and completed 25 super tackles. He also scored 43 raid points for his teams.
