PKL: A look at Naveen Kumar's journey in Pro Kabaddi League

The raider has featured in six seasons for Dabang Delhi K.C.
Here is a stat—Dabang Delhi failed to qualify for the final in the first five editions of the Pro Kabaddi League. Their positions on the table in each of those seasons made for a sad reading: sixth, seventh, eighth and seventh in the first four seasons when the league comprised eight teams, and at the bottom of their pool in the fifth season when the sides were divided according to zones after the addition of four more teams.
A certain Naveen Kumar entered their camp as a New Young Player. Ever since they have qualified for the playoffs every time, including three top two finishes. They also lifted the trophy for the first time in season eight.
If you think all this is a coincidence, you couldn’t be more wrong. The lad from Sultanpur, Haryana has become one of the legends in the game. In total, he has 1102 raid points in 107 matches, with 66 super 10s, at an other-worldly average of 10.29 raid points per match. He was the fastest to cross 500 raid points (47 matches) and 1000 raid points (90 matches) in the league. In fact, none of the five players who achieved the latter feat did it in less than 100 games.
The 24-year-old is one of the fastest raiders on the mat currently, as a result of which he is called “The Naveen Express”. It won’t be wrong if one stated that Naveen, who was part of India’s Hangzhou Asian Games 2022 gold medal winning squad, would have had even more stunning stats if injuries had not constantly been troubled with injuries.
On that note, let us have a look at Naveen Kumar’s journey through the Pro Kabaddi League.
A look at Naveen Kumar’s PKL journey
Season 11
Naveen’s injury woes continued, as he was sidelined for seven successive games. After his experience in the previous edition, he also seemed a bit tentative and rusty. Ashu Malik was given the role of lead raider. Considering the circumstances, the Indian international had a decent season with 97 raid points in 16 matches (at 44.09 % strike rate).
The team eventually entered the knockouts for the sixth successive season, finishing second on the table. However, they suffered a narrow loss to the Patna Pirates in the semi-final.
Also Read: PKL 11 Season Review: Over-dependence on Ashu Malik sink Dabang Delhi’s title dream
Season 10
The raider had a dream start to PKL 10. He had a tally of 71 raid points after six matches (his best ever strike rate of 71.71%), with five super 10s. His season though came to a premature end, as he suffered an injury in the seventh match, ruling him out. Ashu stepped up big time eventually finishing as the joint top scorer. Delhi ended up at the third spot on the table but narrowly lost to the Patna Pirates in the Eliminator.
Season 9
The lad from Haryana maintained his consistency, further raising his stature. He secured a total of 254 raid points in 23 matches (at 57.85%), including 16 super-10s. Naveen finished third in the list of most raid points. What makes this effort more commendable is that he was made the skipper at the start of the season.
The side performed well under his leadership, occupying the sixth spot on the table at the end of the league stage. By virtue of that, they were awarded a place in the eliminator, where they were hammered by the Bengaluru Bulls.
Also Read: Top 10 raiders with most raid points in Pro Kabaddi League history
Season 8
Naveen couldn’t replicate his performance from the seventh edition but still had very good numbers. More importantly, he managed to heal the wounds from PKL 7, as the team lifted their first ever title. He notched up 207 raid points in 17 matches (raid strike rate of 61.24%), with twelve super 10s. He was the fourth best raider that season, despite missing a number of matches due to injury.
Delhi finished second on the table. They eventually edged past the Patna Pirates by a margin of 37-36 in the final, with their marquee player delivering another clutch performance, scoring 13 raid points. As an icing on the cake, Naveen also got the ‘Most Valuable Player award’ for the second successive time.
Also Read: PKL: List of players who have won MVP award in every season
Season 7
A peak which many dream to attain—Naveen experienced an exponential growth in form after his already impressive first edition. The raider achieved a total of 301 raid points at a success rate of 63.77%. However, there is one stat which depicts the impact he had in the season—he raised twenty-two super 10s in twenty-three games!
The team finished at the top of the charts. The “Express” put on a stellar showing in the final against the Bengal Warriors, with 18 raid points. He was named as the ‘Most Valuable Player’ of the season.
Naveen would probably have swapped all these stats to prevent what transpired in the summit clash. His team squandered a seven-point advantage, losing 34-39 and leaving the raider and his growing fanbase teary-eyed.
Season 6
Naveen Kumar was drafted in as a New Young Player. In his debut season, he set the mat on fire, in what was the start of unimaginably big things to come. He scored 177 raid points in 22 matches (at 56.02%), finishing as the top scorer for the team. As a result, his side qualified for the playoffs for the first time, starting a streak which still hasn’t been broken. The Dabang Delhi K.C. eventually ended up losing to the UP Yoddhas in the Eliminator 3.
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