PKL: A look at Maninder Singh's journey in Pro Kabaddi League

Maninder Singh is the second most prolific raider in PKL history.

The words ‘longevity’ and ‘raider’ seldom appear together in the same sentence. Such is the nature of the role that one has to show a mix of agility, flexibility, and strength in every raid made. Hence, injuries are inevitable. However, some players fought against all odds to establish a long career and make a solid impact every season.

Maninder Singh is one such name who has epitomized the word longevity. Having made an appearance only in the inaugural edition of the league, where he had finished as the third-best raider, he is still going strong, although injuries have hampered him in recent times.

He has two Pro Kabaddi League titles to his name for two different teams, but will forever be considered a legend for the Bengal Warriors, considering he has been playing trade for them since the fifth edition. Having missed three seasons before that due to an injury, on his return, he displayed what the league had missed out on in the period, setting the mat on fire.

Cumulatively, the 34-year-old has scored 1528 raid points in 128 matches at a success rate of 60.41%, with 78 super 10s and 50 super raids. The second-most prolific raider in the league’s history, his USP has been his power, having shown a tendency to bulldoze through opposition defensive lineups. Good luck if you plan to do a solo tackle on him!

Also Read: PKL: Top 10 raiders with most raid points in Pro Kabaddi League history

On that note, let’s take a look at Maninder Singh’s journey through the Pro Kabaddi League.

Season 12 (Patna Pirates)

Patna Pirates have roped in the services of veteran raider Maninder Singh for just ₹20 lakhs in the Pro Kabaddi League Season 12 (PKL 12) auction, which also ends his long and decorated stint with the Bengal Warriorz.

The move came after Bengal Warriorz opted not to use the Final Bid Match (FBM) card to retain the star raider.

Season 11 (Bengal Warriorz)

Maninder Singh was released for a second consecutive time, with the Bengal Warriorz (the team’s name was changed from Warriors) again using the Final Bid Match Card to secure his services for Rs. 1.15 Cr.

However, the marquee raider (who willingly handed over the captaincy to new signing Iranian legend Fazel Atrachali) was not at his best, having to sit out several matches due to injury, which also affected his performance on the mat. He eventually had 100 raid points in 15 matches, at a rate of 48.3%, with just six Super 10s.

Unfortunately, despite having a star-studded outfit, the team struggled for rhythm, ending the season at the tenth spot on the points table with just eight wins in twenty-two matches, marking a fourth successive failure to progress to the knockouts.

Season 10 (Bengal Warriorz)

The lad from Dasuya, Punjab, was released before the auctions, where he was picked up by the Bengal themselves (using the FBM Card) for Rs. 2.12 Cr, making him the third most expensive player in the auctions.

He eventually turned out to be the fourth-best raider in the edition, with 197 raid points in 21 matches at a success rate of 61.18% (nine super 10s). His team, though had a disappointing season, finishing seventh on the table and missing out on a playoffs spot by a hefty margin of fourteen points.

Also Read: PKL 11 Season Review: Should Bengal Warriorz retain inexperienced Prashant Surve as coach for next season?

Season 9 (Bengal Warriorz)

Another season of Maninder Singh setting the mat on fire, but the team’s performance is abysmal. He came fifth on the list of most raid points, with a tally of 240 raid points. A raid strike rate of 65.56% and a total of 14 Super 10s showed the impact he has made. However, the team could not follow the lead of its skipper, faltering dismally to languish at second from bottom, securing just eight wins in twenty-two matches.

Season 8 (Bengal Warriorz)

The onset of the pandemic started a rut for the Warriors, which has still not ended. After four seasons, Maninder’s Bengal failed to enter the PKL knockouts for the first time. The team finished in ninth place, winning only nine of their twenty-two games.

It was quite unfortunate that Maninder’s best-ever effort came in PKL 8. He scored 264 raid points, at a rate of 65.33%. In 22 games, the raider notched up 16 Super 10s. Such was the quality on displa,y though, that he was still only the third-best raider.

Also Read: PKL: Five best overseas defenders of all-time

Season 7 (Bengal Warriorz)

Maninder’s numbers weren’t too different from those in the sixth installment of the competition. He had a tally of 205 raid points at a strike rate of 64.46%, with ten super 10s and finishing fifth on the list of most raid points. The difference though was that the Indian international, who was appointed as the team skipper at the start of the season, clinched his second title in four appearances in the league.

They first finished second on the table, maintaining their consistency. They then exacted revenge on the Dabang Delhi for their playoffs defeat in season 6, making a stunning comeback to win the final 39-34. What made this effort even more commendable was the absence of their talisman from the summit clash due to an injury.

Season 6 (Bengal Warriorz)

Bengal Warriorz put on a strong performance for the second successive season. They were placed second in their group zone table after the league matches, but could not go again as they lost to Dabang Delhi in Eliminator 2.

The raider showcased that he was built for the long race, finishing as the fourth-best raider with 206 raid points at a success rate of 54.78%. In all, he had nine Super 10s to his name, akin to the previous edition. Notably, in this season, he also became the fastest to 500 raid points.

Also Read: Top 10 foreign players in the history of Pro Kabaddi League

Season 5 (Bengal Warriorz)

After a hiatus of three seasons due to an injury, Maninder returned to the Pro Kabaddi League. Bengal bought him for Rs 45.50 lakh. Rest, as they say, is history. He made a sensational return, finishing as the fifth-best raider.

He secured 190 raid points in 21 matches at a strike rate of 51.77%. The raider’s performance influenced the team, as they ended at the top of their group zone table. However, their title march was halted by eventual champions Patna Pirates in Qualifier 2.

Also Read: PKL: Five best overseas raiders of all-time

Season 1 (Jaipur Pink Panthers)

Maninder Singh made his PKL debut for the Jaipur Pink Panthers in season one- the only edition where he didn’t make an appearance for the Warriors. This marked the beginning of a glorious PKL career that awaited him later. The Punjab boy managed to stand out in the team of Jasvir Singh and Navneet Gautam.

He eventually finished as the third-best raider, racking up 130 raid points in 16 matches at a mammoth raid strike rate of 74.28% (his best). The Panthers finished at the top of the table and upstaged U Mumba 35-24 in the final to lift the inaugural Pro Kabaddi League title.

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