PKL 11: Top five raiders to watch out for ft. Pawan Sehrawat, Arjun Deshwal

The best raiders in the world will be plying their trade in the Pro Kabaddi League Season 11

In the ten seasons of the Pro Kabaddi League, we have seen how crucial raiders are to their success of their teams. While the defenders play the important role of keeping things tight, the role of raiders can never be understated in big moments, especially while wiping off deficits. The reason for that is they have the power of pulling off multi-pointers in a single move, unlike defenders.

Hence, the teams have been liberal in paying big amounts to established raiders at the PKL auctions. While Pawan Sehrawat was the most expensive player in seasons 9 and 10, it was Sachin Tanwar’s turn to be at the top this time.

The teams’ performance in the league is likely to depend on the performance of their main raiders. Without further ado, let’s have a look at the top 5 raiders on show in season 11 of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL 11).

5) Sachin Tanwar (Tamil Thalaivas)

Sachin Tanwar has been an extremely consistent raider in the last few seasons for the Patna Pirates. As a result, he was the most expensive player at the auction this year, securing a bid of Rs. 2.15 Cr from the Tamil Thalaivas.

The right raider from Churu, Rajasthan had made his debut for the Gujarat Fortunegiants in season 5, before moving to the Pirates three seasons later. He has amassed 952 raid points in 6 seasons, scoring more than 150 raid points in all but one season. Last season, he scored 171 raid points in 22 matches.

At the Thalaivas, the 25-year-old will be sharing duties with another exciting raider Narender.

4) Maninder Singh (Bengal Warriors)

Maninder Singh is already a PKL legend. He has scored 1428 raid points in 143 matches, spanning 7 seasons. Having started off his career in fine fashion at the Jaipur Pink Panthers in the inaugural season, an injury kept him out for the next three seasons.

The right raider from Dasuya, Punjab was bought by the Bengal Warriors in season 5, and the rest as they say is history. He secured 200+ points in four consecutive seasons, starting from the sixth edition and played a key role in his team’s title winning campaign in season 7. Last season too, he had a stellar showing, scoring 197 raid points.

With the Warriors having secured his services at a price of Rs. 1.15 Cr (using the FBM Card), fireworks will once again be expected from him in PKL 11.

3) Naveen Kumar (Dabang Delhi K.C.)

The Dabang Delhi has qualified for the playoffs in every edition, since season 6. It is not coincidental that Naveen Kumar entered the league in that edition: it is rather a testament to his consistent performances.

The right raider from Sultanpur, Haryana has a whopping tally of 1005 raid points in 91 matches. His standout season was the seventh edition, where he had a mind-boggling tally of 301 raid points. Scoring 207 raid points in the very next season, he played a crucial role in leading his team to their first ever title.

Having scored 72 points in 6 matches last season before getting ruled out due to an injury, the 24-year-old will be hoping to be fully fit and lead an enviable raiding trio consisting of himself, Ashu Malik and Siddharth Desai.

2) Arjun Deshwal (Jaipur Pink Panthers)

Arjun Deshwal has unarguably been the best raider of the league in the last three seasons. He has a stunning tally of 839 raid points in 69 matches for the Jaipur Pink Panthers in this duration.

Glimpses of his potential were seen at the U Mumba in season 7, with him securing 104 raid points in 19 matches.

The right raider from Basera, Uttar Pradesh got a chance to become the lead raider in season 8 when he was bought by the Panthers. He has never looked back after that. He scored 267 raid points in his first season for his new team, finishing second in the list of most raid points. His tally of 296 raid points played a crucial role in his team’s march to the title. On a personal front, he finished at the top this time.

Last time, his tally of 276 raid points made him the joint most prolific raider in the league. Come season 11, he will be joined by the likes of Vikash Kandola and Shrikant Jadhav in the team’s quest for their third title.

1) Pawan Sehrawat (Telugu Titans)

Pawan Sehrawat has established himself as one of the greats of the game. Counting his four best seasons (6,7,8 and 10), he has an unreal tally of 1123 raid points in just 93 matches. Being a handy defender too, the Indian team skipper is the dream player every team wishes to have.

The Hi-Flyer’s career took off in season 6 with the Bengaluru Bulls. His tally of 271 raid points in 24 matches not only led his team to their first ever title, but also won him the title of Most Valuable Player. In his next two seasons, he scored 346 and 304 raid points.

The right raider from New Delhi unfortunately suffered an injury in the first 10 minutes with his new team Tamil Thalaivas in season 9 and was bought by the Telugu Titans. Despite his tally of 202 raid points in 21 matches, his team could only win 2 out of 22 matches.

With his team having used the FBM card at the auctions and secured the services of the 28-year-old at a cost of Rs. 1.725 Cr, Pawan would be looking to lead a more well-balanced team to their first-ever title.

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