Deepak Niwas Hooda
A former teacher at a private school, Deepak Hooda now schools’ defenders on the mat every time he steps up to raid. His rise to the top has been meteoric and the everybody is taking note. Which is why he was handed captaincy responsibilities this season at Puneri Paltan. At 23-years-old, Hooda is still in the early stages of his career but he carries himself like a veteran.
Amit Hooda
A player who was under the radar till season 2, Amit Hooda has shown the world, one doesn’t need to be big to be a kabaddi defender. The youngest of the lot, Hooda is just 19-years-old and was the best defender in season 4, successfully executing a massive 47 tackles. A sound reader of the game, an India call-up isn’t far away for this young gun.
Fazel Atrachali
Who would have thought? An Iranian player has established himself as the most menacing defender in the league. There have hardly been occasions when Anup Kumar has been outfoxed on the mat. At the recent Kabaddi World Cup, Atrachali had the measure of the Indian legend, displaying poise to keep him in check. When Fazel dives in for the tackle, there’s no way out.
Rohit Kumar
The Bengaluru Bulls managed just five wins out of fourteen games last season. It’s hard to fathom how Rohit Kumar ended up as the fourth best raider in the league. An uncanny ability to pick up points on the trot separates him from the rest. There are times when defenders know what exactly he’s going to do, stopping him is another challenge altogether.
Verdict
Among the top five raiders last season, four of them- Rahul, Pardeep, Deepak and Rohit occupy the first four positions. The only veteran on the list is Jasvir Singh. It’s safe to say at this point, the young raiders have the better of the experienced ones.
Similarly, among the top five defenders last season – Fazel, Amit Hooda, Mohit Chhillar, Manjeet and Sachin Shingade – Manjeet is the only one who has touched the 30-year old mark. On an individual level, the younger lot are head and shoulders above their peers. Their quality and athleticism will prove to be a challenge far too daunting for the experienced campaigners.
FT – Elderly Seven 23 – 35 Young Guns
