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Dabang Delhi KC won the eighth edition of the Pro Kabaddi League. However, they failed to defend the title successfully in PKL 9. The Delhi-based franchise finished sixth in the standings and qualified for the playoffs, where they were crushed by the Bengaluru Bulls.
Dabang Delhi KC surprisingly released their star all-rounder Vijay Malik before the Pro Kabaddi 2023 Auction. The Season 8 champions did not use the FBM card to re-sign him at the auction. They have added some fresh faces like Vishal Bhardwaj, Meetu Sharma and Manu in the team this time.
Although the team let go of Vijay Malik, they retained Naveen Kumar and re-signed Ashu Malik using the FBM card. Their raid attack looks strong, while their defense has some top names as well.
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In this listicle, we will look at the three reasons why Dabang Delhi KC can win their second championship in PKL 10.
#1 The Naveen Express continues to be a part of Dabang Delhi KC
Nicknamed 'Naveen Express', Naveen Kumar has been one of the most successful raiders in the recent Pro Kabaddi League seasons. The Dabang Delhi KC star earned 258 points in 23 matches last season. He played a pivotal role in the team's championship win in Season 8, earning 210 points in just 17 games.
Kumar has the potential to destroy any defensive unit on his day. The fact that he has recorded 58 Super 10s in his Pro Kabaddi League career so far shows why he is regarded as one of the biggest match-winners.
The Naveen Express was in full flow last season. He will aim to continue in the same vein and score heaps of points for Dabang Delhi KC in PKL 10.
#2 Stellar defense
The biggest reason why Dabang Delhi KC won the trophy in Season 8 was their defense. Naveen Kumar fired on all cylinders in Season 9 as well, but the inconsistent performance from the defenders meant that Delhi only made it to the Eliminator.
This year, Delhi's team owners have assembled a stellar defense featuring the likes of Vishal Bhardwaj, Balasaheb Jadhav, Vijay Kumar, and Vikrant. Bhardwaj was India's left corner defender at the Asian Games 2023, while right cover defender Jadhav impressed fans while playing for Puneri Paltan in previous PKL seasons.
All defenders are individual match-winners. If they can gel well as a unit, Delhi can trouble any raiding unit in PKL 10.
#3 X-factor Meetu Sharma
Delhi could not re-sign Vijay Malik at the Pro Kabaddi 2023 Auction, but they managed to recruit Meetu Sharma. The former Haryana Steelers raider can prove to be an X-factor for the Delhi-based franchise.
As far as his numbers in PKL are concerned, Sharma has scored 210 raid points in 36 matches. He has recorded eight Super 10s and executed four super raids. Besides, he has also executed a super tackle in defense.
The duo of Naveen Kumar and Meetu Sharma can give sleepless nights to the opposition defenders. Delhi also have Ashu Malik in the team. He scored 158 points last season. It will be interesting to see if Dabang Delhi KC can win the championship again in PKL 10.
