We are all set to embark on a new beginning with the bigger and better season 5 of Pro Kabaddi League all set to go underway on the 28th of July. The tournament will witness 12 teams from 11 cities taking the battle across to each other in order to claim the coveted title.
Two-time champions, Patna Pirates will be looking to score a hattrick with their renewed squad post the auctions. But, what goes into the making of this champion team?
Sportskeeda rolls back in time to Season 3 when the Pirates defeated U Mumba in a narrowly contested final, to see where the players from that winning team stand now, ahead of the fifth edition.
#1 Pardeep Narwal
Well, the young gun began his journey with the Bengaluru Bulls but switched over to the Pirates fold where he really came into his own in Season 3 gathering 116 raid points. He ripped the rival defence apart on numerous occasions with his surprise touch points while using dupkis and high jumps as an effective escape route.
He did not play an instrumental role in the Season 3 final however carried through his stellar form right across Season 4 where he led Patna to the title for the second time. Pardeep also featured in the World Cup winning Indian team last October, and thus it came as no surprise when the Pirates think tank decided to retain him as their marquee player ahead of the auctions for the fifth season.
#2 Rohit Kumar
The man from the Services, took the PKL by storm playing his very first season in the third edition! Amassing a total of 102 raid points in just 12 matches, Rohit Kumar led the attacking charge for the Pirates alongside Pardeep and finished as the Most Valuable Played of Season 3.
In the finals as well, he took his team across the finish line with his contribution of the all important 8 points while raiding. Subsequently, in Season 4, Rohit switched over to the Bengaluru Bulls where he could not manage to replicate his performance from the previous season.
However, this time around Rohit emerged as one of the top buys at the auctions with the Bulls procuring his services once again for 81 lakhs.
#3 Manpreet Singh
The international kabaddi player shed 47 kgs in 6 months so that he could participate in PKL which has had a weight limit of 85 kgs. And Patna Pirates would have been glad that he did so, for the experienced campaigner of the game filled in the gaps for the team and in the capacity of a skipper, led the team to their first ever title in the league.
He marshalled his young troops around with effectiveness and managed to extract the best out of each player, which eventually helped them conquer the coveted crown. In Season 4, Manpreet continued with the Pirates, not playing as much but acting as a guiding force.
For the fifth season, Manpreet will be seen in a completely new role as the coach of the Fortune Giants Gujarat.
#4 Sandeep Narwal
The man was famed as an all-rounder with threatening raid tactics prior to the third edition. But, if one saw him play in the third edition, it was a completely different Sandeep Narwal that he/she could witness. He stood like an impregnable wall in the defence, pinning down the most capable of raiders with quite some ease, which was evident with his 55 tackle points, second only to Manjeet Chhillar.
In Season 4, Sandeep moved on to the Telugu Titans in order to add more depth to the defence for that side and he effectively did so. With the World Cup, Sandeep once again proved his mettle as an all-rounder and why he is regarded as the successor to Manjeet Chhillar.
In the fifth edition, Puneri Paltan secured the services of this talented player for a sum of 66 lakhs.
#5 Deepak Narwal
The raider who can make his move from both the right and left flanks played the role of a third choice raider in the Patna team that won the Pro Kabaddi League Season 3. Not less talented than others by any means, Deepak has not yet played as per expectations, gathering just 31 raid points in the third edition.
For Season 4, he moved on to the Dabang Delhi side where he has a below par outing with just 13 raid points. He will be hoping to turn that around this time, playing for the Bengal Warriors alongside the likes of Jang Kun Lee and Surjeet Singh.
#6 Rajesh Mondal
One of the brightest raiders who can pull the team out of trouble in the most unexpected circumstances, Rajesh Mondal is one player who cannot be underestimated by the rival defence because that is the moment he performs the best.
In the third season, he played his part by contributing in the attack as and when required, especially in the finals with 3 important raids when the likes of Pardeep Narwal were not up to the mark. He improved his number further in season four with 57 raid points while continuing his stint with the Pirates.
However, for the fifth edition, he will take the mat in the orange jersey of the Puneri Paltan, playing alongside former teammates, Sandeep Narwal and Dharmaraj Cheralathan.
#7 Sunil Kumar
The left corner defender was on song for the Pirates in Season 3, playing his part to the T with tackles executed at the perfect time, the numbers a testament to his efforts, 28 successful tackles to be precise.
In Season 4, he switched over to the U Mumba franchise but failed to fill in in the big boots of Surender Nada, with just 15 tackles to his credit. Ahead of season five, Sunil was recruited by the Dabang Delhi side where he will combine with Nilesh Shinde and Bajirao Hodage to form a defensive stronghold.
