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Pro Kabaddi 2021 is scheduled to begin next Wednesday at the Grand Sheraton Whitefield in Bengaluru. The 2020 edition of the Pro Kabaddi League was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, after a two-year gap, the Pro Kabaddi League will resume behind closed doors. For the first time in the tournament's history, no fans will be allowed inside the arena to enjoy the matches live. The 12 teams will live in a bio-bubble and entertain the fans at home with their top-quality kabaddi skills.
Winning the Most Valuable Player award is the dream of every player participating in any tournament. The same will be the case in Pro Kabaddi 2021. Players from across the world have assembled in Bengaluru for the biggest kabaddi competition.
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MVP award in Pro Kabaddi 2021: The contenders
#1 Naveen Kumar, Dabang Delhi KC
Generally, raiders end up winning the Most Valuable Player award because they tend to score more points than the defenders. The previous season's MVP Naveen Kumar will start as one of the favorites to win the award this year as well.
Naveen Kumar made his PKL debut in season six. He scored 172 raid points in his first season and became the lead raider for Dabang Delhi KC. The Delhi-based franchise retained him for the seventh season, and the youngster repaid the faith shown in him by scoring 301 raid points in PKL 2019.
The running hand touch specialist guided Dabang Delhi KC to their maiden Pro Kabaddi final last season. Naveen will be keen to continue in the same vein and end Delhi's PKL championship drought in season eight.
#2 Pardeep Narwal, UP Yoddha
Pardeep Narwal made history at the Pro Kabaddi 2021 auction as he became the most expensive player in the league's history. UP Yoddha spent a whopping ₹1.65 crore to sign the former Patna Pirates captain.
Narwal is a former two-time MVP award winner in the Pro Kabaddi League. He won the award in seasons four and five, where the Pirates ended up as champions.
Pardeep performed well in seasons six and seven, but he was not the best performer. It will be interesting to see if he can become the first UP Yoddha player to win the MVP award in PKL history.
#3 Pawan Kumar Sehrawat, Bengaluru Bulls
Bengaluru Bulls raider Pawan Kumar Sehrawat starred in his team's maiden championship win in Pro Kabaddi 2018. The running hand touch specialist was the most successful raider of the 2019 PKL season.
Despite Pawan's brilliant performance, the Bengaluru Bulls failed to win the championship. The chances of the Bulls winning the championship are higher this year because the team management has signed the likes of Chandran Ranjit and Deepak Narwal to support Pawan. So if Pawan gets out, the others can revive him sooner.
Given how consistent Pawan has been in the last two seasons, it should not be a surprise if he wins his second MVP award in Pro Kabaddi 2021.
