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Having fared poorly in the fifth edition of the Pro Kabaddi League, the new-look Dabang Delhi side will look to erase the ghosts of their past when they kick-start their season six campaign against the Gujarat Fortunegiants on the 9th of October at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai.
Not only the fifth season but also the whole history of the league has not been one to remember for Delhi, with their sixth-place finish in the inaugural season the best finish from five editions of the league so far.
In the second season, Delhi finished in the seventh place and in the third season, hit rock bottom. Ahead of the fourth season, Delhi made some changes to their squad but to no avail, as they finished seventh that season while under Meraj Sheykh, finished in the last place from the Zone 'B' table last season.
Opting to retain only skipper Meraj Sheykh, the team management has infused some young blood into the team with additions of Pawan Kadian, Shabeer Bapu, and Chandran Ranjith. The defence unit, on the other hand, wears a cloak of experience in the form of Ravinder Pahal, Vishal Mane and newly appointed skipper Joginder Narwal.
There have been some outstanding players in the past who have made a huge impact to the team while there have been others, who have represented Delhi and faded away as well. Here are five raiders who you might not know played for Delhi.
#5 Wazir Singh
An experienced raider who has plied his trade with great effect in the past, Wazir Singh's experience and understanding of the game elevated him to a position of strength in the past only to see injuries hamper the progress.
Wazir played for Dabang Delhi in the third season but only after two seasons with the Puneri Paltan where he finished as the top raider in both seasons. In season 1, he scored 111 points from 12 matches and in the next 67 from 11 matches.
He then moved on to Delhi but featured in just the one game, where he made four raids, failing to score a single point. An injury ruled him out of season four which then saw him make a comeback with a stint for the Haryana Steelers in the fifth season where he collected 120 points from 21 matches.
#4 Surjeet Singh
Surjeet Singh made a strong debut with the Dabang Delhi in the third season of the Pro Kabaddi League when he picked 68 points from 12 matches and cemented his place in the starting seven with consistent performances.
For the fourth season, he moved to the Patna Pirates where he amassed 37 points from 10 matches and in the next season, moved to the Haryana Steelers where he collected 63 points from 17 matches.
For season six, Surjeet will represent the Tamil Thalaivas and will play under Ajay Thakur.
#3 Vikash Khandola
The Railways-based raider created a huge impression during season five with the Haryana Steelers when he picked 58 points from just nine matches that prompted the Steelers to retain faith in their raider for the sixth season.
However, what most people do not know is that he started his career while playing for Dabang Delhi in season four of the league where he played only four matches and picked just 3 points.
That included a nine-point performance against U Mumba which highlighted him as one raider to look out for in the future of the league.
#2 Prashant Kumar Rai
A top raider who made a huge impression while raiding for Karnataka in the Kabaddi Nationals tournament, Prashant Kumar Rai made his PKL debut with the Telugu Titans in the inaugural season of the league before he shifted to Dabang Delhi for the fourth season.
In the first three seasons combined, Prashant Rai played a total of 35 matches and scored a total of 75 raid points. Rai featured in just nine matches for Delhi and scored 19 raid points including one 'Super 10' effort.
For season five, Rai shifted to the Haryana Steelers where he had a better season, picking up 78 raid points from 16 matches. In season six, Prashant Rai will be turning out for the UP Yoddha.
#1 Selvamani K
Lanky and gifted with a fantastic reach, Selvamani K made a huge impact with Dabang Delhi in his three-season stint that started with his debut season in the second season of the PKL.
14 points in 10 matches did not paint a pretty picture for Selvamani but his promise turned into performance as in the third season, he picked 39 points from 8 matches and in the third season, he collected 45 points from 13 matches.
For the fifth season, Selvamani moved to the Jaipur Pink Panthers where he played 3 matches before a snapped ankle ruled him out of contention for the remainder of the tournament.
However, Selvamani will feature for the Panthers in season six, this time under Anup Kumar.
