Prominent PKL stars from Season 1: Where are they now?

These men were the earliest pioneers of the league's success.

The fever of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) is back, with the new season set to begin in October. The recently concluded PKL 9 auction was a huge hit among fans, as we witnessed some outstanding picks in the form of Pawan Sehrawat, Pardeep Narwal and Vikash Kandola to name a few.

Over the years, the Pro Kabaddi League has given recognition to some of the best players around the country. PKL became the perfect platform for the iconic players to showcase their skills in a new format. Today, let us take a look at the 10 players who were the stars of the first edition of the Pro Kabaddi League. Not only this, we also take a glance at where these icons are now:

Gurpreet Singh

Gurpreet Singh has been one of the finest players who had been a part of the pro-Kabaddi League. He played for Bengaluru Bulls and Puneri Paltan during his PKL tenure. The defender earned 24 tackle points during his first season, which created headlines. Not only in PKL, but Gurpreet also earned an enormous amount of respect on the national and international levels of kabaddi.

He was a crucial member of the squad that won the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games gold. He later became the coach of the Puneri Paltan and helped them strengthen their defence.

Jagdish Kumble

Not many would know about it, but Jagdish was a part of the Jaipur Pink Panthers when they won the inaugural season back in 2014. Though he could not play for the side because of some restrictions on the Railways players being a part of the PKL, his presence in the squad was more than enough for everyone.

Jagdish became the head coach of the Bengal Warriors for the fifth and sixth seasons of the PKL and helped his team reach the playoffs on both occasions.

Manpreet Singh

One of the biggest names in the world of kabaddi, Manpreet Singh was an important member of the Indian team that won the 2007 Kabaddi World Cup. He was also a member of the 2002 and 2006 Indian teams that won gold at the Asian Games. In the PKL, he captained Patna Pirates in 2016 and helped them win their first title.

After that, he continued with the same spirit by becoming the coach of the Gujarat Giants, where his team reached the finals. Now, in PKL Season 9, Manpreet will be seen as a coach of Haryana Steelers. Can we witness a miracle from Haryana this time?

Sandeep Narwal

Sandeep Narwal has been a legend in Indian kabaddi, having earned an enormous amount of respect for his raiding and defending skills. He played for Patna Pirates in the first three seasons and became victorious in 2016. During his first season with them, Sandeep scored 27 tackle points and 92 raid points.

Overall, in his PKL career, Sandeep earned 275 raid points and 348 tackle points. Narwal was a part of the auction this year. But, no-one was interested in buying the veteran, hence he remained unsold.

Kashiling Adake

Kashiling Adake was a part of Dabang Delhi till Season 4 and earned huge praise for his raiding skills. He is one of the few players who has scored more than 100 raid points in two consecutive seasons. For his brilliant performance in Season 2, he was awarded the 'Best Raider' Award, as he earned 114 raid points in 14 games.

In total, Kashiling Adake has 561 raid points to his name. By scoring 51 tackle points, he was a good defender as well.

Surender Nada

Surender Nada’s name will always be on the list whenever we talk about anything related to Indian kabaddi. He has been a veteran for the nation for a long time and was a part of the 2016 World Cup-winning squad.

Surender started his PKL career with U Mumba and then earned praise while playing for Haryana Steelers later on. He was a member of the Steelers in the previous season before moving to the Bengal Warriors this time.

Ajay Thakur

Ajay Thakur has always been a prominent member of the squad since the beginning. He played for various franchises, including Dabang Delhi, Tamil Thalaivas, Bengaluru Bulls and Puneri Paltan. Thakur was a part of Dabang Delhi during the last edition, but played only five games with 13 raids. He later pulled out due to an injury.

Thakur has been exceptional for the Indian team in the past, having won gold at the Indoor Asian Games in 2007 and 2013.

Rahul Chaudhari

Rahul Chaudhari played an important role in making the Pro Kabaddi League famous. He was one of those players who made fans fall in love with the sport. 

His achievements in the league cannot be compared to anyone, as he has over 1000 raid points to his name to-date. Though he was not a big pick in the recently concluded auction, the experience he has would surely help the Jaipur Pink Panthers win big games.

Manjeet Chhillar

Manjeet Chhillar, who captained Bengaluru Bulls in the first two seasons, has been a renowned kabaddi player for India. Having played an overall of 132 games in the PKL, Manjeet scored 616 tackle points. His exceptional performance in the second season earned him the award for the ‘Most Valuable Player.’

Manjeet was a part of Dabang Delhi in the last edition that won the title, but now he will don the Puneri Paltan’s jersey, that too as an assistant coach.

Anup Kumar

Anup Kumar, commonly known as 'Captain Cool,' is one of the biggest names in the history of kabaddi. He made kabaddi what it is today, with the help of some extraordinary achievements to his name. He captained the winning Indian team at the 2016 World Cup. Anup was also a part of the 2010 and 2012 Asian Games, where India won gold medals.

Anup was a part of U Mumba for the first five seasons as a captain. He was the main face of the franchise that was one of the biggest during that time. Anup helped U Mumba win Season 2 by beating Bengaluru Bulls in the finals of PKL 2. He joined the Jaipur Pink Panthers in Season 6, which was his last season before taking the role of coach for the Puneri Paltan in Season 7.