Raiding, which seems like a standalone manoeuvre, has its own techniques which need to be mastered to ace the sport of Kabaddi. A good raider not only leads from the front but is also able to crush the morale of the opponent team through tactful destruction.
The raiders are responsible for the majority of the points scored in the game and require quick movement on the raider’s part.
Here are five raiders who have demonstrated these qualities in abundance and helped to make the tournament a treat to watch.
#5 Kashiling Adake (U Mumba)
Hailing from Maharashtra, 24-year-old Kashiling Adake will play for U Mumba in the upcoming season after having played for Dabang Delhi in all previous seasons of the Pro Kabaddi League. A gold medallist at the 2014 Asian Games, Adake etched his name into the history books when he made a record of scoring 24 points on his own in a game against the Telugu Titans in 2015.
Having gone in for 200 raids, he has scored 113 points for his team and gave them something to cheer about during Delhi’s disappointing journey in the first season. In the second season, he was awarded the Best Raider award.
Adake has played a total of 52 matches in which he has racked up 380 raid points at an average of 7.31. He has 293 successful raids to his name out of a total of 803 raids (36.5% success rate). He also has 11 Super 10s to his name.
#4 Ajay Thakur (Team Tamil Nadu)
The man known for his unique frog jump, Ajay Thakur has played 58 matches so far in Pro Kabaddi League having previously played for the Puneri Paltan in season 3 and 4 and the Bengaluru Bulls in season 1 and 2.
This Indian international from Himachal Pradesh brings his 16-year experience into play during crunch situations in the match. In his best season till date, he supported Manjeet Chhillar ably as the duo helped Bengaluru Bulls to the final in Season 2. The final saw the best of Thakur as he scored five points from a single raid to keep his side in the fight. However, his best efforts, Bengaluru would come up second best to U Mumba.
After a frustrating spell with Pune last season, the star of the Indian team in the last World Cup will be gearing up for Team Tamil Nadu this time around. He has racked up a total of 316 raid points on an average of 5.45 per game. He has made a total of 721 raids out of which 237 were successful (32.9% success).
#3 Deepak Niwas Hooda (Puneri Paltan)
Deepak Niwas Hooda played for the Telegu Titans in the first two seasons and caught the eye of the Puneri Paltan with his great performances. Having being roped in by Pune, he led the Paltan to a third place finish in Season 3 and a season later with Hooda leading the way, they finished third once again – this time despite the absence of their injured skipper Manjeet Chillar.
Last season the onus fell on the 22-year-old Deepak Niwas Hooda to lead the team and it was remarkable to see how well he rose to the challenge. His two crushing games of 17 points came at the right juncture and were instrumental in helping the Pune side maintain their third spot.
In the 57 matches that he has played in the PKL, he has accumulated 342 raid points at an average of 6 points per game.
#2 Anup Kumar (U Mumba)
Anup Kumar is Indian kabaddi's poster boy and after a stellar first season, where he was named the MVP, the U Mumba captain has become a household name with supporters cheering his name everywhere – be it home or away. The Arjuna Award winner, who led U Mumba to the title in the second season, is one of the best players in the league.
Anup with his own ingenious techniques has led his team to several crucial wins throughout the four seasons. Hailing from Haryana, this 33-year-old raider is the captain of the India national kabaddi team as well as U Mumba, and was rightly retained this season. He has played 57 matches and scored 377 raid points at an average of 6.61. He has 307 successful raids out of a total of 938 raids (32.7% success rate).
#1 Rahul Choudhary (Telegu Titans)
The 23-year-old Rahul Chaudhari who hails from Uttar Pradesh was a member of the India national kabaddi team that won gold in the Kabaddi World Cup 2016 as well as the 2016 South Asian Games. The captain of the Telugu Titans, with whom he has played every season he is one of the biggest stars of the league.
After being inconsistent in Season 3, the Telugu Titans leader came roaring back to form – scooping up the ‘Raider of the Tournament’ and was the player to watch throughout the season.
On multiple occasions, he pulled his team back from the brink and single-handedly carried them to victory. Rahul has, in fact, been awarded Raider of The Season twice – in Season 1 and Season 4.
In 57 matches played, he has accumulated a record 482 points, the highest by any player at an average of 8.46 per game. The Titan’s captain has 385 successful raids out of 957 (40.2% success rate) and has 6 green cards and 1 yellow card to his name as well. Chaudhari has the most super 10s in the history of Pro Kabaddi League with 24.
