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The sixth edition of Pro Kabaddi League is just around the corner, as it starts from the 7th of October, 2018 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the sunny city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu. A total of twelve teams will be seen indulging into the three-months-long duel. The winner will be declared on the 5th of January at the Dome NSCI in Mumbai.
The auctions took place back in May where the silent assassin Monu Goyat turned out as the costliest player in the history of PKL, after being bought by Indian kabaddi's hotspot, i.e., Haryana's franchise Haryana Steelers for a whopping ₹151 lakhs. Iranian powerhouse Fazel Atrachali became the priciest foreign player after U Mumba bagged him for ₹100 lakhs.
Other players like Deepak Hooda, Nitin Tomar, Rishank Devadiga and Rahul Chaudhari also joined the crore party. The Mangalore-based Prashanth Rai became the most expensive player on Day 2 of the auctions.
Talking about the format of the league, it will be the same as that of the last season. The trophy was finally unveiled today morning. With just 2 days left for the league to kick-off, here are five defenders who will surprise you in the forthcoming season:
#5 Nitesh Kumar - UP Yoddhas
Nitesh Kumar made a debut in the season 5, playing from the new franchise UP Yoddhas. Till date, he has played a total of 19 matches in which he has scored 47 points. His stats are impressive for a defender making a debut in such a massive league.
He has a 100% not out raid, which is commendable. UP Yoddhas have retained him for the upcoming season for ₹6.6 lakh. We can expect him to show an even better game in the approaching season.
#4 Parvesh Bhainswal - Gujarat Fortune Giants
Parvesh started his PKL journey while he played from Jaipur Pink Panthers in season 4. Bhainswal was not up to the mark as he scored just three points in seven matches.
His world turned upside down when coach Manpreet Singh bought him in Gujarat Fortune Giants for the fifth season of PKL. He was an instant hit there. In that season, Parvesh scored 48 points in 24 matches. For PKL 6, Gujarat has bought him back for ₹35 lakhs.
#3 Mahender Singh - Bengaluru Bulls
'The Bulldozer' Mahender Singh made his mark in Season 5 of VIVO Pro Kabaddi. He played for Bengaluru Bulls, where his ability to come up with strong dashes when least expected made the star of the team. The highlight of his season was his 10 Tackle Point effort against U.P. Yoddha.
Mahender Singh was the most successful Left Cover defender in Season 5 with 57 Tackle Points from 22 games. An amazing player, Mahender was purchased by Bulls once again for ₹40 lakhs. He has a great potential and can definitely do wonders!
#2 Amit Hooda - Tamil Thalaivas
Amit Hooda, who is so far one of the youngest excellent defenders of the league. He has steadily risen up the ranks, from being a part of defending champions Patna Pirates' in Season 3 to emerging as his respective teams' most successful defender in Season 4 and 5 with Jaipur Pink Panthers and Tamil Thalaivas respectively.
Hooda has scored a total of 151 points in 54 matches, which is an exemplary figure. Tamil Thalaivas have retained him for the sixth edition of PKL. He has stopped players like Pardeep Narwal in the past, which is a blue-chip performance by such a young player. Watch out, raiders!
#1 Sunil Kumar - Gujarat Fortune Giants
Sunil Kumar started as a player from Patna Pirates in season 4. There, he scored a mere point in a single match. Season 5 was absolutely magical for him as he scored 58 points in 24 matches.
He was recently declared the captain of Gujarat Fortune Giants for PKL 6, which is a huge responsibility.
The franchise retained him for ₹49.1 lakhs. He showed a mesmerizing performance last season.
Sunil also successfully kept substantial players at bay. He did a fabulous job under the mentorship of coach Manpreet Singh. Probably a jim-dandy, we can expect him to shock us all with his top-class game.
