Should Naveen Kumar go into PKL 10 auction?

Dabang Delhi's star raider can leave the club before the auction.

Naveen Kumar, one of the top raiders in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), has showcased impressive performances for Dabang Delhi in the last three seasons of PKL, captivating Kabaddi fans with his skills. His outstanding displays earned him the nickname "Naveen Express" in the league. After narrowly missing the title in Season 7, Naveen Kumar played a vital role in leading Dabang Delhi to victory in Season 8 of PKL.

Throughout that season, he proved unstoppable for defenders with his exceptional performance. As the main raider for Delhi. The 22-year-old player propelled the team to success almost single-handedly. Naveen accumulated 207 raid points in 17 matches during PKL 8, making him the fourth most successful raider of that season.

Naveen Kumar captained Delhi's side in PKL 9

In the 9th season, Naveen took on the leadership of the team. Following his outstanding performance in the previous season, Dabang Delhi entrusted him with the captaincy for the next season, a responsibility he embraced wholeheartedly while maintaining his peak performance. Under his guidance, Dabang Delhi made a sensational start by winning all six of their initial matches, challenging every team in the league. It seemed that once again, Naveen's lightning-fast pace would be unmatched, leading Delhi to secure their second consecutive victory.

However, contrary to expectations, when Naveen suffered an injury and had to miss a few matches midway through the season, Delhi's team fell apart, and their performance significantly declined. Despite securing a place in the playoffs, Delhi suffered a heavy defeat to Bengaluru by a margin of 39 points in Naveen's absence, shattering their dream of winning the title for the second time in a row. In that match, no other raider could make a significant impact, resulting in poor team performance. It should be noted that in the previous season, Dabang Delhi had only lost six matches in the group stages, three of which were due to Naveen's injury.

Despite the setback, Naveen Kumar accumulated 254 points in 23 matches, emerging as the third-best raider of that season.

Krishan Kumar Hooda played a crucial role in Naveen's journey

Naveen's coach played a crucial role in nurturing his performance. Krishan Kumar Hooda, the coach of Dabang Delhi in the previous two seasons, significantly contributed to enhancing Naveen's abilities, propelling him to become the top raider in PKL. Naveen himself acknowledges that without his coach's support, he may not have reached his current level of success.

However, Dabang Delhi bid farewell to Krishna Kumar Hooda. In the 9th season of PKL, when the team was performing poorly, Coach Hooda disappointingly stated, "I don't know what could be the reason; it might be the individual performances of the players." As a coach, he should have provided a proper explanation and taken responsibility for the team's performance, but his response was disheartening.

As a result of this response, Dabang Delhi's management was greatly disappointed and removed Krishna Kumar Hooda from the coaching position for the upcoming PKL season. Rambir Singh Khokhar has been selected as the new coach for this season, with veteran raider Ajay Thakur taking on the role of assistant coach.

Should Naveen Kumar go into the auction?

The question arises whether Naveen Kumar should be part of the auction. Due to the team's poor performance and Naveen's injuries last year, it remains uncertain whether he will play in the 10th season of PKL or not. Even if he does participate, it is unknown if he will remain with Dabang Delhi, as he would have to play under a new coach.

However, a great top raider like Naveen deserves a place in every team, and Kabaddi fans are eager to see him play. Whether he joins this team or not, his fans hope to see him participate in the upcoming season for another team. It is worth mentioning that the auction for the next PKL season will take place in Mumbai on September 8th and 9th.