Pro Kabaddi Season 5 is all set to be the biggest instalment of the domestic league with 4 new teams coming into the fold in the likes of Chennai, Haryana, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. The tournament will span across 11 states now and last for 13 weeks with almost 130 matches being telecasted live on the Star Sports network.
But, prior to all this frenzy, the auctions for the upcoming season are scheduled to take place on the 22nd and 23rd of May, and it remains to be seen which star players emerge as the highest paid ones. While, generally it is the raiders who most often the greater share of adulation from fans it is the defenders who are responsible for the most part of the dirt work which involves everything from body blocks, chain tackles to ankle and thigh holds.
They bring forth strength, solidarity and security to the side and thus lay the basis for a solid foundation. Thus, Sportskeeda looks at the 5 best defenders who will attract the big bucks from buyers at the auctions.
#5 Amit Hooda
Alongside Ran Singh at the Jaipur Pink Panthers, Amit Hooda formed the core of an impregnable defense which guided the team to a second-place finish in Season 4 of Pro Kabaddi. With 83 tackle points from just 32 matches, Amit finished atop the leaderboard last season while he won the Season 3 title with the Patna Pirates.
What works best for him is the rare combination of skills that he possesses, agility and pace, which ensures that he is difficult for raiders to go past in order to notch a point. Further, he has this uncanny hawk-eye vision which enables him to sense the raiders’ move even before they make it, and hence on most occasions, the rival party falls trap to his ways. Thus, it remains to be seen which team picks up this young gun at the auctions.
#4 Dharmaraj Cheralathan
Well, the 43-year old youngster if one may call him, is one of the most valuable stars of Pro Kabaddi since the very beginning. Age is but just a number for this veteran, for the numbers speaks volumes of his capabilities. Not only did he win the title in Season 4 with the Patna Pirates but he also made the cut in the Indian national squad which won the Kabaddi World Cup back in October last year.
The defensive stalwart can play in either the right or left corner as per requirement and a bonus point with this man is that he can marshall the troops around as an able captain as well. With 151 tackle points from 59 matches, Cheralathan will surely invite numerous bids at the auctions.
#3 Surender Nada
If a raider goes in for a toe touch with Surender Nada in the left corner, then well he will surely succumb to young Haryanvi man’s ankle hold! When in his prime form, he has the ability to render the swiftest of the raiders in the business completely hapless, for they cannot escape the clutches of his holds.
Having played 49 matches so far in the tournament, Surender Nada has accumulated 138 tackle points which include ten High 5’s as well. Other than that, he also won the gold medal with the Indian team at the Kabaddi World Cup which is yet another feather in his cap, an aspect that owners will make a keynote of when bidding starts for this player.
#2 Fazel Atrachali
The Iranian Hulk, the left-corner defender has executed his body blocks to such absolute perfection in the last couple of seasons of Pro Kabaddi that he could might as well patent them for further use. His presence in the Patna team last season ensured that there was not one moment when the squad was lacking in defence and it allowed the raiders the liberty to go all-out in the attack.
Such is his prowess and strength, that the Iranian has 95 tackle points to his name from 32 matches and even claimed the title of the Best Defender in Season 4. The only foreign player with the ‘A’ category batch at the auctions, Fazel will surely set the money bags rolling in his direction.
#1 Mohit Chhillar
The young right-corner defender has grown in leaps and bounds from Season 1 of Pro Kabaddi. He has emerged from the shadows of notable defenders like Jeeva Kumar to carve out his own name in the field and leave them behind by a margin when it comes to performing on the kabaddi mat.
He is omnipresent while in a match and exhibits a wide range of defensive skills which often leave the incoming raiders confused, such that they perish in front of him. With 170 tackle points from a mere 57 matches which include 15 High 5s as well, Mohit Chhillar is surely the most prized defender up for grabs at the auctions.
