Top 10 All Rounders in Pro Kabaddi League: Possessing all-round skills in Kabaddi gives the player an edge over other players and makes him a valuable asset for the team. A blend of fearless raiding and robust defense is no more a perk, it is a necessity.
Raiders often steal the show for their nerve-jangling jumps, whereas defenders are also not far behind, but the combination of the two is a juggernaut to reckon.
Let’s have a look at the top 10 all-time greatest all-rounders, who proved their mettle with the dual role of raiding and defending in Pro Kabaddi League:
#1. Deepak Niwas Hooda
Team: Patna Pirates
Matches: 103
Points won: 785
Raid Points won: 710
Tackle Points won: 75
Deepak Hooda has been a star performer and the talk of the town in Pro Kabaddi arena for many years now. He was the second costliest player in 2014 and was bought for Rs. 12.6 Lakhs by the Telugu Titans.
He has been the part of three PKL franchises namely Telugu Titans (season 1 &2), Puneri Paltan (season 3,4,5) and Jaipur Pink Panthers ( season 6 and 7). The all-rounder has played 103 matches till date and has earned 710 total raid points with the help of 18 super raids and 24 super 10’s and at an average of 6.89 raids per match.
Coming to his tackling career, he has earned 75 tackle points with the help of 6 super tackles and 4 high 5’s and at an average of 0.66 tackles per match.
#2. Manjeet Chhillar
Team: Tamil Thalaivas
Matches: 93
Points won: 522
Raid Points won: 220
Tackle Points won: 302
Manjeet Chhillar, the man of crisis, the man who leads from the front in all the departments, either tackle or a raid. In a nutshell, he possesses all the qualities required for making him the most valuable player.
He has been the part of the four Pro Kabaddi franchises namely Bengaluru Bulls (Season 1 &2), Puneri Paltan (Season 3&4), Jaipur Pink Panthers (Season 5) and Tamil Thalaivas (Season 6). He has played 93 Pro Kabaddi matches till date and has earned 230 raid points and 302 tackle points.
#3. Sandeep Narwal
Team: Dabang Delhi
Matches: 101
Points won: 483
Raid Points won: 229
Tackle Points won: 254
Sandeep Narwal is nothing less than a nightmare for the opposition, the star performer that stole the limelight for his raids soon became a juggernaut in defense.
His consistent performance earned him the captain’s role for the Patna Pirates and was also the second costliest player during the season 4. He has played for 4 Pro Kabaddi franchises namely Patna Pirates (Season 1,2 &3), Telugu Titans (Season 4), Puneri Paltan (Season 5 &6) and will now feature for U Mumba (Season 7).
He has played 101 matches till date and has earned 229 raid points with the help of 11 super raids and 1 super 10’s and at an average of 2.26 raid points per match. Coming to tackling career he has earned 254 tackle points with 23 super tackles and 15 high 5’s and at an average of 2.28 tackles per match.
#4. Meraj Sheykh
Team: Dabang Delhi
Matches: 82
Points won: 362
Raid Points won: 309
Tackle Points won: 53
Meraj Sheykh is one of the most sought-after International talents that dazzled the Pro Kabaddi League circuit with their all-round skills.
He has been the part of the 2 Pro Kabaddi League franchises namely Telugu Titans (Season 2 &3) and Dabang Delhi KC (Season 4,5,6 and 7). He has played 82 matches till date and earned a total of 309 raid points with the help of 16 super raids and 5 super 10’s and at an average of 3.76 raids per match. He has earned 53 tackle points with the help of 6 super tackles and at an average of 0.57 tackles per match.
#5. Ashish Kumar Sangwan
Team: Bengaluru Bulls
Matches: 76
Points won: 151
Raid Points won: 45
Tackle Points won: 106
Widely hailed as one of the finest all-rounders in the PKL, Ashish Sangwan is a perfect blend of attack and defense with astounding game awareness. His all-round skills have played a major role in forming team strategies.
He has been the part of the same team (Bengaluru Bulls) since season 2 and has played 62 matches till date. He has earned 45 raid points. Coming to his tackling career, he has managed to score 106 tackle points with the help of 63 super tackles and at an average of 1.68 tackle points per match.
#6. Ran Singh
Team: Tamil Thalaivas
Matches: 99
Points won: 289
Raid Points won: 90
Tackle Points won: 199
Ran Singh is a veteran all-rounder and is more suited to the defensive side of play. He has played 99 matches till date and has been the part of the 3 PKL franchises namely Jaipur Pink Panthers (season 1, 2, 3&4), Bengal Warriors (season 5&6) and now Tamil Thailaivas (season 7).
He has earned a total of 90 points with the help of 4 super raids and at an average of 0.9 raids per match. He has earned a total of 199 tackle points with the help of 11 super tackles and 4 high 5’s at an average of 1.89 tackles per match.
#7. Shrikant Tewatia
Team: Patna Pirates
Matches: 71
Points won: 157
Raid Points won: 78
Tackle Points won: 79
Shrikant Tewatia is one of the unsung players, who remained under the shadow of star performers, but silently gone about his job and proved his prowess as raider and tackler in Pro Kabaddi. He has been the part of the three franchises namely Delhi Dabang (season 1 and 2), Bengaluru Bulls (season 3), Jaipur Pink Panthers (season 4) and Bengal Warriors (season 5 and 6).
He has played 71 PKL matches till date and has a total of 202 raids at an average of 2.84raids per PKL match. Coming to his tackling career he has earned 222 tackles in 71 matches at an average of 3.12 tackles per PKL match.
#8. Kuldeep Singh
Team: Puneri Paltan
Matches: 66
Points won: 181
Raid Points won: 61
Tackle Points won: 120
Kuldeep Singh is surely one of the better all-rounders in the PKL history, the all-rounder rose to fame for his defending skills in the right corner, but his shrewd raiding has slotted him in the spot of the all-rounder.
He has been the part of the 3 Pro Kabaddi franchises namely Jaipur Pink Panthers (Season 2&3), Puneri Paltan (Season 4&6) and U Mumba ( season 5). The all-rounder has played 66 matches till date and has scored 61 raid points at an average of 0.93 raid points per match. Coming to his tackling career, he has earned 120 tackle points with the help of 5 super tackles and 3 high 5 and at an average of 1.82.
#9. Rajesh Narwal
Team: Dabang Delhi
Matches: 92
Points won: 397
Raid Points won: 284
Tackle Points won: 113
The star all-rounder started off his Pro Kabaddi career as a second fiddle raider, but as the time passed he has transformed into the lead raider for his respective Pro Kabaddi League franchise.
He has been the part of the 3 Pro Kabaddi franchises namely Jaipur Pink Panthers (Season 1,2,3,4), UP Yoddha (Season 5) and Dabang Delhi KC (Season 6). The all-rounder has played 92 matches till date and has earned 284 total raid points with the help of 12 super raids and 4 super 10’s at an average of 3.08 raid points per match. He has earned 113 tackle points with the help of 8 super tackles and 3 five highs and at an average of 1.14 tackle points per match.
#10. Rakesh Kumar
Team: Patna Pirates
Matches: 55
Points won: 260
Raid Points won: 186
Tackle Points won: 74
Arjuna awardee Rakesh Kumar is the old warhorse in the Pro Kabaddi circuit. He has been a part of 2 times World Cup winning squad, and two times Asian Games gold medal-winning team.
He got the highest bid in Pro Kabaddi League Season 1, where he was bought by Patna Pirates for INR 12 Lakh. The all-rounder has played 55 matches till date and has earned 186 total raid points with the help of 1 super raids and at an average of 3.38 raid points per match. Coming to his tackling career, he has earned 74 tackle points with the help of 6 super tackles and has scored at an average of 1.23 tackle points per match.