News
The best New Young Players in the Pro Kabaddi League history
Being a part of kabaddi's biggest league, the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), is a dream for every kabaddi aspirant. Many players have put in the hard work to reach this stage. Up until PKL Season 9, many players from the New Young Players (NYP) category made a name for themselves and lived up to the expectations of the franchise that picked them in their first season. Starting from Season 10, they were directly nominated to the team squads.
Many players came into the limelight in the initial matches of their debut season, but only a few were consistent throughout the season and continued to play with great maturity for the entire tournament.
As we get closer to the Season 11 Player Auction of Pro Kabaddi, let's take a look at some of the top-performing NYPs who stamped their authority in their first-ever PKL season.
Narender was bought by Tamil Thalaivas in the ninth edition of PKL. He made his PKL debut on October 8, 2022, against Gujarat Giants and returned in style with a Super 10. The young prodigy continued to improve with each passing game. The Thalaivas had their best-ever PKL campaign in Season 9 when they made it to the semifinals, and Narender gave his all to get the team over the line.
He scored a Super 10 in the semifinal, but it went in vain against Puneri Paltan. Narender produced 243 raid points and 6 tackle points in his debut season, which also included four Super Raids and 15 Super 10s. For his exceptional run throughout the tournament, he was adjudged the New Young Player of the Season.
Skipper of the defending champion team, Aslam Inamdar, made an impact straight away in his debut campaign and proved to be effective for the Paltan in Season 8. He played his first PKL game on December 23, 2021, against Dabang Delhi K.C. He made his first appearance on the mat as a substitute and had a decent outing, scoring four raid points, including three bonus points and a tackle point. The team showed complete faith in the all-rounder and featured him in all the matches. He lived up to the billing with 169 raid points and 20 tackle points. Aslam also produced seven Super Raids and five Super 10s in that campaign.
Mohit was bought by Puneri Paltan in Season 8, and he was magical on the mat with his all-around abilities. He was not just impressive with his raids, but he also chipped in with valuable points in defence. The young raider claimed a total of 187 points in 21 matches, including 159 raid points and 28 tackle points. In the raiding department, Mohit produced two Super Raids and eight Super 10s, while in defence, he added three Super Tackles and a High 5 to his credits. He was named the Emerging Player of the Season.
Ankush was fabulous right from the start of his PKL career and grabbed the eyeballs with his fantastic tackles. He grabbed three tackle points in his first-ever PKL match and there was no looking back for the youngster. He had no trouble whatsoever in keeping the raiders quiet when he made his debut in Season 9. The team management allowed him to play with complete freedom and he gave good returns in terms of tackle points. The left corner made the most of the opportunities and played all the matches for the team in which he amassed 89 tackle points to be adjudged as the top defender of the tournament.
Sagar was roped in by Tamil Thalaivas in Season 8 and he established himself as the best defender for the franchise. He did a decent job for the Thalaivas in his opening game and added two tackle points to his tally against the Telugu Titans. He exhibited immense consistency and stood tall in the defence in the tournament. The Thalaivas’ tackler became the second-best defender on the leaderboard in the eighth PKL edition with 82 tackle points. Sagar garnered eight Super Tackles and eight High 5s for Tamil Thalaivas in that PKL campaign.
Follow Pro Kabaddi on Instagram, Facebook, X & YouTube for all the latest updates!
Latest Updates
Loading...