Reflecting on the 'Express' journey of Kabaddi star Naveen Kumar

The star raider was vital in Dabang Delhi's title triumph in PKL season 8.

23-year-old Naveen Kumar commonly known as Naveen “Express” started his PKL career in the sixth edition for Dabang Delhi KC. He made his presence felt in the debut season itself scoring raid points consistently. The star raider was introduced to the sport by his grandfather the first person born in the twenty-first century to play in the Pro Kabaddi League and was also the youngest to do so. After completing his schooling he studied at Kurukshetra University.  

Dabang Delhi KC until season 6 never made it to the playoffs but the fortunes changed upon the inclusion of Naveen Kumar who played a vital role in Delhi's qualification for the playoffs. Dabang Delhi after qualifying for the playoffs in season 6, finished as runners-up in season 7. Naveen Kumar scored 303 points and was awarded MVP (Most Valuable Player) award. He also got the nickname 'Naveen Express' for his speedy raids after his stellar performance in season 7. 

Season 8 started on a bright note winning the initial matches but got injured midway. Naveen became the fastest to breach the 600 raid points mark. He came back stronger in the latter stages of the tournament and won Dabang Delhi KC their maiden title. He was awarded MVP for the second successive time. The northern side did not have a great outing in season 9 leaking points in defence but with the heroics of the raiding unit, they made it to the playoffs. 

The inclusion of Naveen Kumar has changed the fortunes completely for Dabang Delhi KC helping the team qualify for the playoffs in all the seasons he has participated. Also, the Indian selectors called up Naveen for the 2019 SouthEast Asian Games which was his maiden national call-up. He played a vital role in the finals against Sri Lanka scoring a super 10 clinching gold.

PKL Stats

Season 6

Matches - 22 | Total Points - 177

Season 7

Matches - 23 | Total Points - 303

Season 8

Matches - 17 | Total Points - 210

Season 9

Matches - 23 | Total Points - 258

Total Raid Points (overall) - 934

Achievements

MVP of PKL season 7

Gold- 2019 SouthEast Asian Games