Pro Kabaddi League 2017 Season 5: Top 5 raiding pairs to watch out for this season

The last few years have seen a remarkable surge in the popularity of kabaddi thanks to the arrival of the Pro Kabaddi League, which has seen the sport become the second-most popular in the country. The format and the frantic pace has seen audiences getting hooked to kabaddi like no other game before.

A variety of skills are on display on the mat, most of them through the raiders, who employ a number of tricks and techniques to gain that elusive touch and return to their half safely. From running hand touches, to ‘dubkis’ and to scorpion kicks, each raider has their trademark moves that they deploy during their raids.

Raiders, with each having their different styles, operate in pairs and when on song, they can wreak havoc among opposition defenders. In season five, all teams have lined up some high-quality raiders but which are the top five raiding units among the 12 franchises? Here is our list:

#5 Puneri Paltan

The Pune side bought smartly in last month’s auction and have a formidable attacking unit set up. It will be led by retained player Deepak Niwas Hooda, who averages a handy six raid points per game. The 22-year-old is one of the best young prospects in the game at the moment and was part of the India team that won the Kabaddi World Cup in 2016.

Sharing raiding duties will be the crafty Rajesh Mondal, who is an expert in crunch situations. He has 156 points to his name so far, with a large chunk of them coming from do-or-die raids. All-rounder Sandeep Narwal will also look to support by putting in a few raids and has amassed 171 raid points over the last four seasons.

#4 Patna Pirates

Narwal is one of the most dangerous raiders in the business

They are two-time defending champions and will look to claim a hattrick in Season 5. Their raiding duo is an extremely potent one, led by the ‘Dubki King’ Pardeep Narwal. The youngster, at just 20 years of age, is arguably the most dangerous raiders in the business and can single-handedly alter the course of a match.hattrick in Season 5. Their raiding duo is an extremely potent one, led by the ‘Dubki King’ Pardeep Narwal. The youngster, at just 20 years of age, is arguably the most dangerous raiders in the business and can single-handedly alter the course of a match.

In support of him will be the nifty Monu Goyat, who is a handy second raider to have in a team. The Services man has just one Pro Kabaddi season under his belt, but it was quite a fruitful one as he picked up 59 raid points.

#3 Telugu Titans

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With Rahul Chaudhari at the helm for the fifth season in a row, the Telugu Titans will have a strong raiding unit going into the new season. The man from Bijnor is the most prolific raider in Pro Kabaddi history with nearly 500 raid points and a mammoth 24 super 10s.

Supporting him will be the lanky Nilesh Salunke, for whom the Titans shelled out Rs 49 lakhs. He has played two seasons of the league, averaging 3.23 raid points per game. All-rounder Rakesh Kumar will also be a valuable asset in attack, whose record boasts of a wealth of experience and an average of four raid points per match.

#2 Team Uttar Pradesh

Tomar was the highest pick of the auction

With the most expensive pick of the player auction in their ranks, the team from UP have an enviable raiding duo. Nitin Tomar, the Rs 93 lakh man, was part of the India side that won the Kabaddi World Cup last year and will lead the attack for the new team in Season 5.

Rishank Devadiga will be his partner-in-crime and is an extremely dangerous raider for any defense to deal with. He was the best raider in Season 3 of the PKL and has a total of 284 raid points under his belt. Former Jaipur man Rajesh Narwal is an all-rounder but has terrific raiding skills as well, which can be used by Team UP.

#1 U Mumba

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It is hard to look past the deadly duo of Anup Kumar and Kashiling Adake on this list because of the sheer volume of raid points they have amassed. The U Mumba captain has a PKL title and 337 raid points to his name and is a force to reckon with thanks to trademark toe touch and his ability to win bonus points.

Kashiling Adake may not have won a PKL trophy but what he does have is 380 raid points at an average of 7.31 per match, which includes 24 in one game – a record that is unlikely to be broken. The side from Mumbai also have Nitin Madane and Shabeer Bapu in their ranks and it will be fascinating to see how they line up once the season starts.