PKL 12 Auction: Top three legends who went unsold

Pardeep Narwal was the most shocking name to go unsold at the PKL 12 Auction.

The Pro Kabaddi League started in 2014. Since then, something new and spectacular has been seen in this league every year. The PKL gained popularity due to it being an indigenous sport. What made it special was the connection with the local areas, as many players came from small towns, and their simplicity made the league sustainable.

This made PKL the second most popular league after IPL. The Pro Kabaddi League has given many stars to the world. From the legends Rakesh Kumar and Anup Kumar, to the fearless corner duo of Surendar Nada and Mohit Chillar, the star raiders like Rahul Chaudhari, Ajay Thakur, Rishank Devadiga, Nitin Tomar, and many more such kabaddi legends.

However, with the emergence of a new generation of talent, many former stars have faded away due to age and declining form. In this season’s auction, a few of the veterans who were still active until last season found no bidders this time.

Let’s look at the top three names that went unsold in the PKL 12 Auction.

Siddharth Desai

One of the most unexpected names to go unsold at the PKL 12 auction was star raider Siddharth Desai. Known for his power-packed performances and consistency, Desai has been among the league’s top raiders since his debut. In just 80 matches, he has racked up an impressive 702 total points, with a solid average of 8.66 raid points per match and a not-out percentage of nearly 73%.

His attacking stats are equally commendable: 693 raid points from 1062 raids, 25 Super Raids, and 34 Super 10s with a 65.25% success rate. Desai burst onto the scene with a memorable debut for U Mumba in Season 6, where he became the fastest rookie to cross 200 raid points in just 21 games.

After that, he played for Telugu Titans and, most recently, represented Haryana Steelers in PKL 10, scoring 82 points in 17 matches. Despite his proven numbers, Desai found no takers this time around, leaving fans stunned.

Vikash Kandola

Vikash Kandola made his PKL debut with Dabang Delhi in Season 4, though he played only four matches that season. His breakthrough came with Haryana Steelers in Season 5, where he emerged as their lead raider and played for four consecutive seasons.

He then moved to Bengaluru Bulls in season 9, but failed to live up to expectations. His form started to decline. In the last season, he was with the Jaipur Pink Panthers and played 8 matches, scoring 15 points. Throughout his career, he played 128 matches and scored 837 points in the PKL history, but remained unsold in the PKL 12 auction.

Pardeep Narwal

The most shocking name that went unsold at the PKL 12 auction was that of Pardeep Narwal, the record breaker and dupki King. Pardeep started his journey with Bengaluru Bulls, where he didn’t get many opportunities.

In season 3, he was acquired by the Patna Pirates, and his fortunes changed as he had a breakthrough season. In 2017, he became the first Raider to score 300+ points in one season.

Pardeep scored a massive 369 points in season 5 and played a key role in helping his team, Patna Pirates, to lift the trophy. In 2019, he once again scored 300 raid points in one season. However, he was released by the Patna Pirates and was acquired by UP Yoddhas in the season 8 auction.

He had two great seasons with them. Pardeep was struggling for the last two seasons. In season 10, he scored 122 raid points in 17 matches, and in season 11, his performance declined once again.

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