Top 10 kabaddi players in 2017

The past year has played host to some of the best Kabaddi players across the world with the fifth season of the Pro Kabaddi League and the Asian Championships proving to be close fought competitions.

While the Pro Kabaddi League saw players coming together from different cultures to represent a single franchise, the Asian Kabaddi Championships witnessed intense clashes between countries.

Here's the list of the top ten Kabaddi players of 2017.

#10 Maninder Singh

Sporting a stylish hairstyle, Maninder was a vital cog in Bengal Warriors' raiding department that took them till the knockouts stage. Leading the raiding department and wreaking havoc alongside Deepak Narwal and Jang Kun Lee, Maninder picked up 192 points from 21 games.

An accumulator, Maninder went about his task with an aim of picking up three/four points rather just the one or two which did him good as he finished fifth on the list of highest raid points that earned him a maiden call-up to the national team.

#9 Abozar Mighani

One of the biggest success stories in the Gujarat Fortunegiants' run in Pro Kabaddi League Season five, Abozar was a force to reckon with in the right corner. Making his debut and playing alongside countryman Fazel Athrachali, Abozar finished fifth on the list of highest tackle points for the season with 65 tackle points.

From 116 tackles, 63 tackles were successful, outlining his efficiency in the defence unit of the Fortunegiants which also came to the fore in the Asian Kabaddi Championships, where the Iranians were upset by Pakistan in the semifinals.

#8 Deepak Niwas Hooda

A seasoned campaigner with the Indian national team and five seasons worth of experience from the Pro Kabaddi League, Deepak Niwas Hooda was the only retained player by the Puneri Paltan ahead of season five and was also given the role of captaining the side.

More of a raider than a defender, Hooda picked up 172 raid points from 24 matches apart from 14 tackle points and often took up the responsibility of the Do or Die raids for the Paltan. He also played a cover for the national team in their run to the Asian title.

#7 Monu Goyat

To step out from the shadows of a man in form and excel is not a facile task but that is something that Services man Monu Goyat achieved, playing second fiddle to the rampaging Pardeep Narwal at the Patna Pirates.

However, he played a vital role in camouflaging the rare flaws committed by Pardeep and made optimum use of his quick turn and agile raiding to pick 191 raid points from 26 games.

#6 Nitin Tomar

Ahead of the fifth season of the Pro Kabaddi League 2017, Nitin Tomar grabbed the headlines as the costliest buy in the auctions, procured by the U.P Yoddha for 93 lakh rupees.

Tomar went on to captain the Yoddha to the knockouts stage and finished the season with 167 points from 20 games, missing out on a couple of games owing to injuries. After a good PKL season, Tomar was also picked in the Indian squad that travelled to Iran to take part in the Asian Kabaddi Championships.

#5 Rohit Kumar

Rohit was the only positive in the Bulls' campaign

One of the only bright sparks in an otherwise dismal campaign for the Bengaluru Bulls, Rohit's accurate and incisive raiding saw him finish as the second best raider of the fifth season of the Pro Kabaddi League with 219 points from 22 games.

The highlight of his campaign was that he picked 12 Super-10s from 22 encounters and while he did not receive enough support from his team-mates with respect to performances, his efforts single-handedly brought home most of the Bulls' wins in the season.

#4 Surjeet Singh

When Surjeet was announced as the skipper of the Bengal Warriors, a lot was expected from the cover defender with the extra pressure of leading the team beyond the group stage matches also put him in focus.

Positioned in the right cover position for the Warriors, Surjeet picked up 76 points from 24 games apart from which he also led the Warriors to the top of the Zone 'B' table that saw him land a well-earned place in the Indian team.

#3 Surender Nada

One of India's premier defenders for a long time now, Surender Nada brought all his experience into play in the fifth season of the Pro Kabaddi League, finishing as the best defender of the season with 80 points from 21 games.

Captaining debutants Haryana Steelers in the league, Nada exhibited his A-game right throughout the season and also covered up for Mohit Chhillar's rather disappointing show.

In the Asian Kabaddi Championships, Nada occupied the left corner for India and shone against Pakistan in the finals, putting in crucial tackles to help India win the coveted title in the end.

#2 Ajay Thakur

Ajay Thakur led India to the title victory in the Championships.

Tall and experienced, Ajay Thakur led India to a title victory in the Asian Kabaddi Championships held in Iran, carrying on his good form from the Pro Kabaddi League into the mega tournament.

Heralding the Tamil Thalaivas, for his first stint as captain of any PKL side, Thakur performed brilliantly, picking up 213 points from 22 games which also earned him the captain's armband in the Asian Kabaddi Championships where he led India to the title.

#1 Pardeep Narwal

Words cannot suffice the talent that Pardeep Narwal is comprised of. A man with many skills, the 20-year old shattered a plethora of records in the fifth season of the PKL including most number of points in a season (369), most raid points in a match (34), most raid points in a season (369) among others.

The skipper of the Patna Pirates, the youngster took up the onus on himself to accumulate points which he managed to do to splendidly well, making the best of defenders look like fools when he came on to raid.

Pardeep also went on to represent India at the Asian Kabaddi Championships that were held in Iran earlier this year.