The season for “Panga” is back with this year’s edition of Pro Kabaddi League.
Commercialised in 2014, Kabaddi in India has seen an exponential growth of interest and participation. With big names like Abhishek Bachchan and Adani Group backing the teams, the IPL inspired concept of Pro Kabaddi League continues to gain fandom. Even the number of team members increased from 8 to 12 in the last season.
With the largest bids made on domestic and foreign players, the 2018 players’ auction has raised the bar even higher. In all this buzz around team selection, we bring you 5 of the highest valued players of Pro Kabaddi League 2018.
1. Monu Goyat
Goyat was the star player in the winning team of 2017. This season, he has become India’s highest valued non-cricket sports person with a staggering Rs 1.51 crore bid made by the relatively new team, Haryana Steelers. The raider started his Pro Kabaddi League career with Bengal Warriors, later moving to current defending champions- Patna Pirates. With Haryana Steelers looking to move up this season from their sixth place from last season, they have spent the most on Monu Goyat in this auction.
2. Rahul Chaudhari
Telugu Titans have successfully retained one of their best players once again this season in a bid match against Dabang Delhi with a bid of Rs 1.29 crore. Starting his Pro Kabaddi League career as a defender and later playing as a raider, Chaudhari holds the record for the highest cumulative number of raid points, tackle points and total points after 5 seasons of PKL. Telugu Titans who have been in the competition since the beginning but have never won made a strong choice in picking Chaudhari as the main raider and captain this season.
3. Deepak Niwas Hooda
Hooda has been a part of PKL since its inauguration in 2014. Having the second highest bid at that time, he has joined Jaipur Pink Panthers this season with the third highest bid of Rs 1.15 crores. Playing with teams such has Telugu Titans and Puneri Paltan, Hooda is one of the top raiders in the sport. Jaipur Pink Panthers were champions in the first season, and this year with this incoming, they hope to finally win again after a long wait of 4 seasons.
4. Nitin Tomar
Slowly but steadily rising to the top, Tomar has shined as an all-rounder in PKL after bench warming for a few seasons. Tomar has been bagged by Puneri Paltan in this season’s auction at Rs 1.15 crores in a bid match against Dabang Delhi. Puneri Paltan has been the most consistent team in the league but never managed to win. This time, they hope to turn the tables with the help of Tomar, who was the highest paid player in the 2017 auction.
5. Rishank Devadiga
Like many of the newer teams, UP Yoddha is also shelling out a lot of money to get the best players on their team. Devadiga was retained using the ‘Final Bid Match’ card against Dabang Delhi for a bid of Rs 1.11 crores. The raider had been half of the dynamic duo of Devadiga and Tomar last season for the UP Yoddha. This season, the team intends to win under his captaincy.
In the rising Kabaddi fever, we are anticipating some thrilling action. All the teams will play fiercely to reach the play-off stage of the game. Three-times defending champions Patna Pirates are in for a tough ride as well with the rising intensity of the competition.
Pro Kabaddi League 2018 is sure to give spectators a brilliant season.