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Zee Entertainment went to war with BCCI and ICC to start the now-defunct league ICL in 2007. The money-making machine BCCI appointed a skinny Gujarati lad to solve the issue of ICL and he came up with IPL. Soon there were a plethora of sports leagues in India, ranging from badminton to tennis to hockey. In midst of the madness of these leagues, the till now hesitant kabaddi board came up with an idea of its own ‘Pro Kabaddi League’.
Pro Kabaddi League was not expected to be a success but, it proved all its doubters wrong. PKL changed the game of kabaddi. It introduced the world to attacking gameplay. The 'do or die raid' and 'super tackle' which were a brainchild of PKL negated the slow aspect of the game.
The aspect which was most affected by PKL was the raiding portion. PKL gifted some exceptional raiders to the world of babaddi who became an overnight sensation in the world. These raiders are partly responsible for making the game of kabaddi as popular as it is today. PKL has produced exceptional raiders in its five seasons of history with the sixth season already underway.
However, there are always some players who stand out of the crowd. Even in PKL, there have been a few raiders who have come out as the best out of the best. Let us take a look at top five of them:
#5 Kashiling Adake
The initial seasons of PKL were expected to be a season of hero worship. As kabaddi was not a famous sport in urban India, people were not aware of many players other than a few genuine stars such as Anup Kumar, Rakesh Kumar, Manjeet Chillar and a few other. Though, what stood out was a six feet tall Sangli born dusky raider who played for Dabang Delhi. His name was Kashiling Adake.
The son of a former wrestler, Adake mesmerised the world with his pace and flexibility. His signature move Frog jump is one of the most visually spectacular things you will see in a game of kabaddi. In the six seasons of PKL, he has scored 526 raid points in 78 games and is the fifth top scorer in its history.
#4 Dipak Niwas Hooda
Dipak Nivas Hooda first came into limelight when he won the gold at 2014 Senior National Kabaddi Championship held in Patna. He was the star all-rounder for Haryana. Soon after he attracted a bid of 12.5 lakhs in the first auction of PKL, which was the second highest in the first auction. He played for Telugu Titans and soon impressed the nation with his fitness.
Though he impressed at the Vizag based side, he could not come out of the shadow of the star player Rahul Chaudhari. It was after his move to Puneri Paltan in the third season when he proved his mettle as a raider.
His signature move - the running hand touch - is one of the most effective in the game of kabaddi. He topped the charts of 'do and die raids' in the fifth season and proved his ability to raid under pressure. His rise has been meteoric in the last few seasons. He has scored 556 points in 88 games.
#3 Ajay Thakur
It seems almost criminal to put Ajay Thakur at the third position on this list but, that is just a reflection at the quality of PKL. Ajay Thakur is the current captain of Indian kabaddi team and Tamil Thalaivas. The Himachal born raider stands at over six feet tall and is known for his composure on the mat. He is the leader of the current crop of highly talented Indian raiders.
He started his PKL career at Bangalore Bulls under the tutelage of all-rounder Manjeet Chillar. He polished his game here and became the raider that he is today. Though in the third and fourth season while playing for Puneri Paltan his form did take a hit, his World Cup heroics with the national team helped him in regaining his form and reputation. Ajay Thakur has scored 625 points in 89 games.
#2 Rahul Chaudhari
If PKL was a language, then consistency would be spelt as Rahul Chaudhari. Rahul Chaudhari started his career with Telugu Titans and is one of the few players who has played entire history of PKL with a single club. The six feet tall Bijnor born player has been the poster boy of PKL.
Nicknamed 'the raid machine', Rahul is one of the few players who can change the game of kabaddi single-handedly with his consistent raiding. He is quick on his feet and has a good reach. He has all the traits of a world-class raider.
He has perfected the art of the running hand touch which also is his signature move. Rahul has topped the charts in the total number of points of PKL but lies joint first in raid points. He has 720 points in 88 games but has played more games which is why he is second on this list.
#1 Pardeep Narwal
Pardeep Narwal has 720 points in just 73 games. He has featured in four seasons only. Pardeep Narwal or 'dubki king' as he is called by kabaddi enthusiast has created and recreated the records in PKL.
The shy kid from Haryana shook the world by his raiding capabilities in season three playing for Patna Pirates. Today he is one of the most recognisable names in the kabaddi world. He single-handedly won the crown of PKL for Patna Pirates in its fourth and fifth season. He even scored eight points in a single raid in season five against Haryana Steelers which was simply outstanding.
Pardeep's performance in the fifth season was a crowning jewel in his list of achievement. He scored a whopping 369 raid points in a single season. He also is the only player to have won the most valuable player of the season two times. His signature move is 'dubki' which is almost impossible to emulate.
