What Pardeep Narwal’s PKL snub means for the future of Kabaddi

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Pardeep Narwal, Kabaddi’s all-time top raider, went unsold in the 2025 PKL auction, leaving fans stunned and the league at a turning point. This piece looks back at his record run, the crowd’s strong reaction, and his next move off the mat. It also asks: Is this the end of a star era or the start of a bold new game?

The electrifying moment: Narwal goes unsold

In one of the most shocking turns in PKL history, Pardeep Narwal, the 'Dubki King' and the league’s all-time top raider, went unsold in the 2025 Pro Kabaddi League auction held from May 31 to June 1. When his name was called, not a single team raised a bid. The silence in the room was louder than the cheers he once drew. Fans were left in shock, with many saying he made Kabaddi famous and even likening his impact to that of Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni.

This was the first time in PKL history that its top raider was left out. Narwal, once a top pick worth over ₹1 crore, saw no takers at all. Some teams may have backed out due to his dip in form over the last few years. Others seem to be focused on young stars and new styles of play. Nevertheless, the snub marks the end of an era and the start of a bold new one.

Career flashback: Legacy of a Dubki King

Narwal’s mark on Kabaddi is clear. He was the first to cross 1,000 raid points and still holds the record for most raid points in a season (369) and most in one match (34). He led Patna Pirates to three straight PKL titles and later played for UP Yoddhas and Bengaluru Bulls. Though his form dipped in later years, he stayed a key name in the league and drew crowds just by being on the mat.

Fan outcry: End of an era?

The unsold moment trended on X (formerly Twitter), with fans expressing heartbreak and awe. Quotes ranged from ‘He made Kabaddi famous’ to ‘the Kohli and Dhoni of Kabaddi.’ Some even said Narwal’s omission was like dropping Lionel Messi or Sachin Tendulkar. The emotional response underscored his connection with the sport’s followers.

Narwal’s response: Retirement and reinvention

Days after going unsold, Narwal spoke on Instagram Live and quietly confirmed his retirement, saying his form had slipped and it was time for new stars to shine. He also shared he’d stay in the sport by coaching kids in his home village, helping young talent grow through drills and match play. 

Narwal said he owed the game much and wanted to give back at the ground level. He thanked his fans for years of cheers, saying their love kept him strong through both wins and losses.

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Young stars that are bound for Pro Kabaddi greatness

Seemingly every year, the Pro Kabaddi league sees the emergence of a new star that sets the mat on fire with his incredible performances.

Gujarat Fortunegiants’ Sachin Tanwar had an incredible campaign in his rookie season, leading the team to the final in Season 5. Raider Siddharth Desai broke almost every rookie raiding record in his debut season in Season 6, while Dabang Delhi K.C.’s Naveen Kumar, who also made his debut in Season 6, scored 22 Super 10s in 23 appearances in his second Pro Kabaddi campaign and became the second-youngest MVP of all-time in league history.

The Pro Kabaddi stage produces a new star every season, and below, we take a look at three players who could become the next big thing in kabaddi in Season 8:

Pankaj Mohite 

The young raider from Maharashtra was part of the Puneri Paltan roster in Season 6 and despite being the third-choice raider behind Nitin Tomar and Manjeet, Mohite made a huge impact for his side in his debut campaign.

The raider scored 113 points in 16 matches, averaging close to seven raid points a match. He managed three Super 10s and four Super Raids in his rookie season, a tremendous return from a raider playing in a team stacked with veterans in the offence.

What stood out the most about Mohite was his Dubkis. The famed kabaddi move is one of the most difficult to execute on the mat, but the young raider is already pretty proficient at it, as he showcased against former champions Bengaluru Bulls. He finished that match with 17 points, the most that he has managed in a game so far in his nascent career.

Vinay

In Vikash Kandola, the Haryana Steelers already possessed a mercurial raider capable of winning matches on his own, but they still needed a complimentary raider that could churn out the points to ease the burden on their superstar.

Up stepped rookie Vinay, playing the role of the sidekick to perfection and helping Haryana Steelers reach the Season 7 playoffs. The young raider scored 129 points in 23 appearances in his debut campaign, averaging close to 5.5 points per game in a team that boasted of Kandola, veterans Prashanth Kumar Rai and K. Selvamani as well as Naveen.

Vinay was a gamechanger for the Steelers. In addition to his three Super 10s, the young raider scored six Super Raids - the joint-fourth most in Season 7. Usually tasked with reviving Kandola and Rai, Vinay delivered more often than not. The Steelers’ wildcard is a talented player and has a bright future ahead in the Pro Kabaddi league.

Ajith Kumar

In a team boasting of two of the nation’s greatest raiders - Ajay Thakur and Rahul Chaudhari - it would seem impossible for another raider to thrive. However, V. Ajith Kumar did just that in his rookie campaign in Season 7.

The young raider scored 121 points 19 appearances for the Tamil Thalaivas last season and made the secondary raider role his own in Thakur’s absence. 96 of his 121 points came in Tamil Thalaivas’ final 10 matches of the season, averaging 9.6 points per game, that despite sharing the raiding load with Rahul Chaudhari.

If his rookie season is anything to go by, Ajith is a superstar in the making.

Feature image courtesy: ProKabaddi.com

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Pawan Sehrawat’s mind-boggling spell in Pro Kabaddi

Looking back in time, it’s hard to believe that Bengaluru Bulls’ Pawan Sehrawat raided a total of just 24 times in Season 5 for the Gujarat Fortunegiants, scored just nine raid points and averaged just one point per game.

A footnote with the Fortunegiants, Sehrawat was repurchased in the Season 6 auction by the team that gave him his debut in the Pro Kabaddi league, and the raider repaid their faith with perhaps the greatest two-season run of any player in the history of the league.

At the start of Season 6, Sehrawat had 74 points in the Pro Kabaddi league and ranked seventh among points scorers in league history. Two seasons and 48 appearances later, Sehrawat is sixth all-time with 716 points to his name, ahead of names such as teammate Rohit Kumar, seven-year veteran Rishank Devadiga and retired superstar Anup Kumar.

Sehrawat has scored 642 points in the last two campaigns at a massive average of 13.4 points per game. To put this into perspective, only Pardeep Narwal has managed to average more points in a single season, let alone two, than Sehrawat has since Season 6. The Patna Pirates’ skipper averaged 14.19 points per game in Season 5 when he scored 369 points in 26 matches. Sehrawat broke the single-season average raid-point record in Season 7 with 360 points in 24 matches – an average of 14.42.

The Bengaluru Bulls ace is the only player with over 10 Super Raids in each of the past two campaigns and has scored 31 Super 10s - the most in the league, and one more than Pardeep Narwal and Dabang Delhi K.C.’s Naveen Kumar.

By winning the Best Raider award this season, Pawan joined Pardeep in becoming the only players in Pro Kabaddi history to have won the Most Valuable Player Award, the Best Raider award and the league title.

He has been hunting down Pardeep’s record one at a time and broke perhaps the most difficult one when he scored 39 points against Haryana Steelers, beating the Patna Pirates skipper’s previous mark of 34 that he set in Season 5.

With his performances since Season 6, Sehrawat may have equalled, if not surpassed, Pardeep Narwal as the best raider in Pro Kabaddi. Barring any injuries, Sehrawat is on course to add himself to the 1000-point club in Pro Kabaddi next season.

But, irrespective of what happens in Season 8, it is impossible to compare Sehrawat’s run in the past two seasons to any that was previously seen in the Pro Kabaddi league.

Feature image courtesy: ProKabaddi.com

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author's and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SportsAdda.

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Why Rahul Chaudhari’s days as a Pro Kabaddi superstar are over

Trailing Bengal Warriors by five points and with just two minutes left on the clock, Tamil Thalaivas were in dire need of a big raid to turn the tide against the eventual champions.

After strutting across the mat a couple of times, raider Rahul Chaudhari finally decided to risk it all, luring Left Corner Rinku Narwal by dangling his feet close to the defender. It was an opportunity too good to pass up for the Bengal Warriors ace and he pounced on the raider’s feet to try and trip him.

Chaudhari escaped Rinku’s clutches and was seemingly on his way to picking up multiple points. However, just before he could get across the midline, veteran Cover Jeeva Kumar dashed Chaudhari on to the floor before another defender joined in to pin the raider and earn a point for their side.

It was a rather easy assist for Jeeva, who would have expected a more resolute struggle from Chaudhari, but it wasn’t to be. Resigned, frustrated and beaten, Chaudhari jogged to the bench for the final time in Season 7, and probably the final time in a Tamil Thalaivas jersey, as he sat and observed from the sideline while Bengal Warriors ran down the clock to register a four-point victory, their 14th of the season.

Thus ended a disastrous campaign for the Tamil Thalaivas, who lost coach Edachery Bhaskaran to retirement and then captain Ajay Thakur to injury through the season, also for Rahul Chaudhari, who seems to have lost his spark for well over a couple of years.

The beginning of the slump for Rahul Chaudhari

Make no mistake, Chaudhari remains one of the most recognisable faces in the sport.

His 1000 points, his two Best Raider Awards and his countless heroics for Telugu Titans made him a household name for half the decade. Chaudhari was the face of the Pro Kabaddi league. He earned the moniker of ‘The Poster Boy of Kabaddi’ because he carried himself with a swagger and an arrogance one seldom sees in a kabaddi player.

But all that is seemingly gone. For the past two seasons, Chaudhari has been a below-par raider. Sure, he continues to break records with seemingly every point he scores, but those points are few and far between, and Chaudhari no longer evokes the fear he once did.

In Season 6, Chaudhari scored just 159 raid points, the 12th-highest tally in the league. Before that, the raider had never finished outside the top six. He raided heavily, like he always has, and delivered a few decent performances, but nowhere close to the level that the world had come to expect of Chaudhari.

The following year, Telugu Titans, the team Rahul had spent his entire Pro Kabaddi tenure with, decided to part ways with the superstar, opting to sign Season 6 sensation Siddharth Desai for a whopping 1.45 crores instead. Chaudhari, though, was still a man in demand.

Rahul Chaudhari's inglorious capitulation

Teams bid aggressively for the raider and it was Tamil Thalaivas who emerged victorious in his pursuit, signing him for 94 lakhs and pairing him with veteran superstar Ajay Thakur, a dream duo for many.

As luck would have it, Chaudhari made his Tamil Thalaivas debut against his former side and outshone Desai by scoring a Super 10 and leading his new side to 39-26 victory. Maybe that’s what he needed; a change in scenery to get rid of the monotonous job of carrying Telugu Titans and being inevitably disappointed when their luck ran out.

At Tamil Thalaivas, he had Manjeet Chhillar, Mohit Chhillar and Ran Singh to man the defence, and in the attack, he had the legendary Ajay Thakur alongside him. Maybe that would spur him on to be the raider he once was. However, things went south quickly for Chaudhari and the Chennai-based outfit.

Chaudhari and Thakur struggled in the subsequent matches and the defence couldn’t hold up either. Bhaskaran resigned soon after as the Thalaivas' prolonged struggles continued to drag. New coach Udaya Kumar let rookie Ajith takeover the lead raider’s role alongside Chaudhari in Thakur’s absence and the youngster was perhaps the only silver lining in an otherwise dumpster fire of a season for the Thalaivas.

The results improved slightly but there was no end in sight for Rahul’s tumultuous season. Often on the bench, frustrated and with a look of helplessness on his face, the raider finished the season with just 130 points. He averaged a mere 5.91 raid points per game, had a strike rate of just 40, scored just two Super 10s and managed zero Super Tackles, all career lows.

End of the road for Rahul Chaudhari

Retaining Chaudhari will cost the Thalaivas a fortune and it’s likely they’ll part ways with the veteran raider for the upcoming season. Once revered and idolised, Chaudhari’s form had been slumping for a couple of seasons before finally capitulating in Season 7.

He no longer has the explosiveness to trouble defenders, nor the strength and speed to bulldoze his way through defenders. It’s a difficult admission, but Chaudhari’s days as an elite raider are behind him. His experience and marketability could be a valuable asset for any team that wishes to sign him, however, his days as a world-class raider that could lead his side to victory are long gone.

Images courtesy: ProKabaddi.com

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author's and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SportsAdda.

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Why Patna Pirates have to stop letting Pardeep Narwal down

Like he had all night, Pardeep Narwal strutted into the Gujarat Fortunegiants’ half with the same swagger as that of an assassin. His team was on the brink of greatness, largely due to him, and he was not about to let the moment pass.

After teasing Right Corner Abozar Mohajermighani for about five seconds, the raider took off to the other side of the mat, got the touch on Sunil Kumar, stood near the midline for close to a second, looked backed at the hapless defence, raised his finger almost to signal, ”And that’s that.” And it was.

Pardeep set up the All Out that would give Patna Pirates an unsurmountable 17-point lead and a few minutes later, the team were crowned champions of Pro Kabaddi Season 5, their third title on the trot.

Pardeep was then named the league’s Best Raider as well as the Most Valuable Player, becoming the first and, till date, the only player to win both awards as well as the league title. The Dubki King scored 369 points that season, 150 more than next-best Rohit Kumar.

And even then, the Patna Pirates had to go through two eliminators and a qualifier to make it to the final, which does baffle the mind, considering they also had Monu Goyat in the roster, who himself scored 191 raid points that season.

However, that was the writing on the wall for Patna Pirates’ problems that have since only grown larger despite Pardeep’s unmatched genius.

Poor squad selection

Post signing Pardeep in Season 3, Patna Pirates had managed to build a squad around him that was well-balanced in both offence and defence.     

Their three-pronged raiding attack consisting of Pardeep, Rohit Kumar and Manpreet Singh was equipped to dismantle any defence that came in their way and they did just that en route to their maiden title.

In Season 4, captain Dharmaraj Cheralathan and Iranian duo Fazel Atrachali and Hadi Oshtorak formed a feared defensive trio that allowed Pardeep to go full throttle in attack and be unconcerned about being revived. Raiding partner Goyat gave Pardeep the security blanket he needed in Season 5 to go berserk in his search for points and that helped him deliver the greatest individual season in Pro Kabaddi history.

That hasn’t been the case over the past two campaigns.

Patna Pirates' mediocre defence scored just 201 tackle points in Season 6, which ranked ninth in the league, and in attack, bar Pardeep, the raiding unit failed to make any sort of substantial impact, with only Manjeet making any sort of dent in the proceedings.

Even with those grave concerns, Pardeep managed to pile 233 raid points and carried the team to within a victory of a playoff spot, only for them to blow it all against Gujarat Fortunegiants in their final Zone B game and miss the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. Pardeep though, picked up his second-straight Best Raider award and there was hope that perhaps this season was nothing more than a blip for the Pirates.

It wasn’t. And the signs were evident right after the auction.

The Pirates' strategy in the auction left everyone bewildered. They opted to sign veteran Left Corner Surender Nada for 77 lakhs, their most expensive purchase in the auction, and that despite having Jaideep who had been the team’s most successful defender in each of the previous two campaigns.

Nada, who fractured his arm at the start of Season 6, had been on the sidelines for months and ended up missing the entirety of Season 7 after aggravating the fracture that he suffered and proving to be money down the drain for the Pirates.

In attack, the Pirates signed veteran raider South Korean Jang Kun Lee, who ranked 20th and 24th in the league’s raid point scoring list in Season 5 and 6 respectively and was evidently on the decline. They also purchased Iranian Mohammad Maghsoudlou for a hefty price tag, but he too provided very little in terms of support.

With an average defence and a mediocre raiding unit, Pardeep yet again was left to carry his team to victory on his own, and while the 23-year-old did as much as he could, the team was set up for failure right from the go and finished eighth in the league standings, missing the playoffs for the second year running.

Despite scoring 302 raid points, Pardeep could neither win the Best Raider award, which was clinched by Pawan Sehrawat, nor the MVP, awarded to Dabang Delhi K.C.’s Naveen Kumar, and the onus falls on the Pirates’ management and coaching staff, who have purchased poorly in the auction and let their superstar down for two years running.

While Pardeep may not seem like it on the mat, he too is mortal. And unless the Pirates realise that and give the Dubki King a team worthy of challenging for the title, their barren run is bound to carry on a tad longer.

Feature image courtesy: ProKabaddi.com

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author's and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SportsAdda.

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Pardeep Narwal: The lone warrior for Patna Pirates

Completing a hat-trick of championships from 2016 to 2017, Pardeep Narwal has been spearheading the attack for Patna Pirates for as long as one can remember. As a result, the two have synonymously grown together over the years, with the Pirates of late putting all its power behind making sure that their beloved raider is happy and doesn’t move to any other team.

Despite additions like Jang Kun Lee, Mohammad Maghsoudlou and Surender Nada to the team in the ongoing season, Pardeep has still shouldered the burden in the seventh season. The main crux of signing Lee was to ease the pressure on Pardeep, but the South Korean has hardly been in the same league as Pardeep.

One man show

Pardeep’s record-breaking numbers can dampen the spirit of any defence, as the 22-year-old became the only player in the history of Pro Kabaddi to cross the 1100-point mark. His numbers are mind-boggling, and his average of 12.76 raids per match has only improved from his previous season’s endeavours. Currently sitting on 268 points in 21 encounters, Pardeep’s exploits are hard to get a hold of.

On the other hand, the second-best raider for Patna this season has been South Korean Lee, who is way down on the list of total points earned (55), almost a fifth of what Pardeep has managed so far. Interestingly, the third-highest scorer for Patna is a defender named Neeraj Kumar, who has 54 points from 21 matches.

For a three-time champion like Patna, having one player bearing the brunt of the opposing defenders while the others pick up a couple of points hasn’t boded well. The quiet aggression that Pardeep possesses and utilises on the mat has been missing from the rest of Patna’s squad.

The thing that separates Pardeep from the rest is his consistency. In a recent encounter with Gujarat Fortunegiants, the star raider racked up 17 points out of the 39 scored by his team, which almost accounts for 44% of Patna’s score. This was one of the many instances that Pardeep led the charge for his team and this kind of overreliance was exposed yet again.

In the post-match conference, the supremely confident raider was asked about his conquest against Gujarat and his team being entirely dependent on him, to which he modestly replied, “I don’t believe that is the case. The defence came up big in the closing stages of the match and that is the only reason we won today. Lee's touch point kickstarted that spell for us right at the end. So, it was a team effort today.”

No matter how long he disallows the notion that he is an indispensable part of Patna, sooner or later, the owners of Patna will realise that it might need a couple more shoulders to carry the weight of three-time champions.

Feature image courtesy: Star Sports & Pro Kabaddi

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Is Maninder Singh’s injury a cause of concern for the Bengal Warriors?

Bengal Warriors’ astounding season has only blossomed with time courtesy of their ruthless raider Maninder Singh. The 29-year-old has come a long way after lifting the 2017 Asian Kabaddi Championship and established himself as one of the most consistent raiders in Pro Kabaddi. But an injury he picked up in an encounter against Dabang Delhi has raised concerns over the future performances of Bengal.

While the extent of the injury is still being analysed, it’s safe to say that Bengal won’t come across as the same menacing side that it was with Singh’s presence in the squad. There’s no debate about just how big of an impact Singh can create when on the mat, possessing an uncanny ability to get the best out of his teammates in crux situations.

Leading the way

Singh was one of the most prolific raiders for Bengal in the sixth season, garnering over 200 points in 22 matches, guiding them along the way. His performances have only enhanced during the ongoing season, averaging almost 10.25 raids per match, compared to 9.36 raids the previous season.  

He possesses innate leadership skills and has been leading by exampl, scoring 205 raid points for Bengal so far. His two most notable performances came against Telugu Titans and Haryana Steelers, when he scored 17 and 18 points respectively, sweeping away crucial victories for his team in order to make them stay among the top six.

In the encounter against the Titans, Singh’s agility and speed came to the rescue as he got the better of the defenders on multiple occasions and left them in his wake. Constantly slipping out of the grasp of the defenders, he was hightailing it back to his own half in no time.

His importance is underlined by the fact that the next best raider for Bengal this season is K. Prapanjan, who has 101 points to his name — almost half of what Singh has scored in the ongoing season.

Can Bengal survive?

“We withdrew him to not aggravate the injury any further. He was in pain because Maninder isn’t the type of player who will leave the court with minor injuries. He’s played through hamstring and groin injuries in the past, but he was in a lot of pain tonight, which is why he had to leave the mat early,” was the statement made by Bengal’s coach BC Ramesh, which spoke volumes of Singh’s strength and determination.

Despite being unable to finish the match, Singh was still the best raider for Bengal, with 13 raid points. Bengal have been heavily reliant on him and if the injury persists, it will be a tough road ahead for the team from the east.

Feature image courtesy: Star Sports & Pro Kabaddi

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That's odd: Pro Kabaddi superstars go full throttle this week

After two months of pulsating action, Pro Kabaddi is nearing towards the end of another nerve-wracking season. Dabang Delhi KC has surprised everyone with their clinical performances leading the table on the back of their young raider Naveen Kumar and have been facing a stiff challenge from teams such as Haryana Steelers and Bengal Warriors.   

WATCH OUT FOR: Naveen Kumar

He turned up this season with the sole agenda of breaking every record. Having already outclassed Pardeep Narwal’s record of most consecutive Super 10’s, Naveen Kumar has been leading the charts for total points in the ongoing season. Naveen will hope to end the season with a few insurmountable records to his name and the upcoming battle with UP Yoddhas will be nothing short of enticing for the 19-year-old to score big points before the playoffs begin.

For now, let’s settle the debate with this bit of stat – Naveen Kumar has completed 213 raids this season in 20 encounters racking up a record 256 raid points. He’s unstoppable at the moment and keeping him quite will be task worth boasting about.

Jaipur Pink Panthers are in between a rock and a hard place

Jaipur has been one of the most unpredictable side so far and have landed up in an unfavourable position to qualify for the playoffs. The Pink Panthers have just one priority - win all their remaining games to trouble the four teams above them. If they win their two matches against Bengaluru Bulls and Tamil Thalaivas, they must hope U Mumba, UP Yoddha and Bengaluru Bulls don’t win a single match from hereon. A victory each for these three teams would completely eliminate all chances that Jaipur can envision if they win all their games.

WATCH OUT FOR: Sandeep Kumar Dhull

The star defender for Jaipur has been one consistent factor that has been working wonders in crux situations. With the scenario for Jaipur looking extremely difficult to qualify for the playoffs, Sandeep Kumar can surely rise up to the occasion and pull off match winning feats for his team. He is leading the pack with 67 tackle points this season and is tipped to end his campaign as one of the most successful defenders.  

Think you know better? Head to Sportsbet.io to show us how much…

Featured image courtesy: Star Sports & Pro Kabaddi

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Can Pawan Kumar Sehrawat become the new king of Pro Kabaddi?

The ‘Most Valuable Player’ of Pro Kabaddi season six, Pawan Kumar Sehrawat seems to be riding on the success of the previous season in 2019 as well. After leading Bengaluru Bulls to title-victory in 2018, Sehrawat has found top form once again in the ongoing season, displaying a string of match-winning performances by leading the charge in the offence.

Sehrawat’s ascent to the top has been nothing short of inspirational. After his first three PKL seasons, the swift raider managed a total of just 74 points in 32 matches. But 2018 painted a completely different picture. The fleet-footed raider rose to the occasion and delivered one of the finest string of performances which might have just become the yardstick against which all future raiders will be adjudged. 

A Raid of points

The Bengaluru Bulls raider’s graph escalated faster than anyone’s expectations and the 23-year-old credits his success to his coach Randhir Singh. His stint with Gujarat Fortunegiants was abysmal but Singh gave him another chance and rekindled his spirit.

The results were prominent. In the sixth season, which spanned over the course of 24 matches, Sehrawat outclassed star raider Pardeep Narwal by 49 points, ending his campaign with a career-best tally of 282 total points. Owing to his quick mindedness on the mat, Sehrawat also garnered 13 Super 10s with average raid points of 11.29 per match. 

However, his most notable accomplishment came in the final of the previous season against Gujarat when he became the first player to rack a total of 22 points in a Pro Kabaddi final, single-handedly leading Bengaluru to their maiden PKL title.

The show goes on

The groundwork was laid and the reputation was in place as Sehrawat took off to a flyer in season seven as well. Again leading the charts for total points in the ongoing season, Sehrawat has been a nightmare for defenders. In his first 16 matches of the ongoing season, Sehrawat has posted average raid points of 12.87 per match which is comprehensively better than his previous season average.

He is always giving a stiff competition to the new kid on the block, Naveen Kumar and the veteran raider Pardeep Narwal whenever he comes out to play. The bustling raider has turned himself into one of the most prolific players of the tournament and with the performances that he keeps putting in, day in and day out, a place in the Indian Kabaddi team is definitely not far away.

Feature image courtesy: Star Sports & PKL

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Is Kabaddi World Cup 2016 hero Ajay Thakur facing the heat

A calm yet feisty face on the mat, Ajay Thakur has found his way from the muddy fields of his village to stardom, going on to receive the prestigious Arjuna Award in 2019. The 33-year-old’s journey has been nothing short of mesmerizing, with him taking on the reins of leading the Indian national Kabaddi team on the international stage.

His stellar debut season in the inaugural edition of Pro Kabaddi with Bengaluru Bulls set him on course to scale greater heights. In the 15 matches he played that season, Thakur racked up a total of 127 points. After spending the next three seasons, with Bengaluru and then Puneri Paltan, he joined Tamil Thalaivas in 2017, in what was going to be his best season to date. It’s here that he delivered a career-best tally of 222 total points with a whooping 12 Super 10s to add to that.

This spurt in his overall presence on the mat came only after an inspiring World Cup campaign in 2016. Leading the raiding department from the front through the tournament, it’s in the final against Iran that Thakur showed his class. In a crisis situation, Thakur entered the opponent’s mat and came through with a four-point raid to propel India to World Cup glory.

However, despite tasting such success over the last three years, the veteran leader has been under stress off late. Captaining his side Tamil Thalaivas in the ongoing season, Thakur’s below-par performances have overshadowed his phenomenal record of the past two years. Averaging 9.68 and 9.22 raid points per match in the fifth and sixth season, respectively, Thakur’s record has fallen substantially in the current edition.

In his first 13 matches of season seven, the Indian Kabaddi captain has averaged a mere 4.46 raid points per match which clearly paints a worrisome picture for the Arjuna Awardee. Known for his ability to lift the team from a situation of crisis, Thakur has failed considerably in replicating that this time for the Thalaivas.

Although he has always been adored by his teammates who appreciate his innate leadership qualities, the prolific raider’s captaincy has also been questioned in recent times. This is largely due to Thalaivas’ poor campaigns in the two consecutive seasons earlier, where they found themselves in the bottom of their zone after the group stage.

The plight is still the same as the Thalaivas have been bulldozed further and are languishing yet again at the bottom of the table. The Thalaivas have looked far from an inspired unit under him and due to insufficient support from Rahul Chaudhari, Thakur’s resolve has fallen flat on its face. He has been benched frequently in the ongoing season as his cool demeanour seems to have lost its charm, especially in crucial encounters.

The veteran raider also doesn’t have the advantage of age on his side and really need to up is game to feature among the greatest yet again. Otherwise, the cliff is not far away if he continues to steamroll down the hill.  

Feature image courtesy: Star Sports & PKL

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