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India will be seen going head-to-head with arch-rivals Pakistan at the Al Wasl Sports Club in Dubai in the first match of Dubai Kabaddi Masters. In absence of captain cool Anup Kumar, Ajay Thakur is all set for his 2nd leadership assignment in Indian colours. With so many household PKL stars in the side, it is going to be the tough task for India to select their starting 7.
On the other side, Pakistan players are also coming here after completing their local Super Kabaddi League just a month ago. Captain Nasir Ali was the man of the series of that league with 68 points to his name. Taking into account the performance of players in Super Kabaddi League, Pakistan might throw some surprises in their starting 7. Let's have a look at the probable starting 7 of both India and Pakistan.
INDIA’S PREDICTED LINE-UP
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Ajay Thakur (Raider)
This will be Ajay Thakur’s second tournament as captain of the Indian team in the absence of Anup Kumar. The third leading raid points scorer of PKL has loads of experience with him and was influential when India went on to win the 2016 World Cup.
Pardeep Narwal (Raider)
Undoubtedly one of the best raiders in the World, he finished as the leading point scorer of PKL with 369 points to his name - all of them being raid points. He had 19 super 10’s in the tournament and is a huge threat for any opposition. Pardeep has a huge fan following and will be one of the key players for India as he has the ability to single-handedly turn any tie around.
Rahul Chaudhari (Raider)
The third raider on the list - he is PKL's leading scorer across all seasons. Rahul is the only player to cross the mark of 700 points in PKL (710 points) and will be important to any side because of his ambidextrous nature of raiding.
Manjeet Chillar (All-Rounder)
Manjeet Chillar is into the side after a gap and will be keen on showcasing his mighty talent after a disappointing PKL auction where he was taken by Tamil Thalaivas for the base price. He will fill in the left cover position and can the Indian fans can expect a strong performance from him.
Surjeet (Defender)
Surjeet potently fills in the right cover position in this team. The 27-year-old finished as Kabaddi World Cup’s best defender with 23 tackle points and PKL season 5's second-best defender with 76 tackle points.
Surender Nada (Defender)
The experienced 30-year-old from Haryana is regarded as World’s best player in the left corner because of his ankle holds in Kabaddi. He finished as the top defender with 80 tackle points and 9 High 5’s in PKL season 5.
Mohit Chillar (Defender)
Mohit Chillar and Surender Nada have played together for same franchise throughout the PKL and the coach will be keen on maintaining this deadly combination. L Srinivas Reddy, the Indian coach, was also the assistant coach of Nada and Chillar who played for Haryana Steelers in PKL 5 so he will be knowing their game end-to-end.
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PAKISTAN’S PREDICTED LINE-UP
Nasir Ali (All-rounder)
A commanding captain of the team, Nasir was also part of PKL in the first season playing for Patna Pirates. He plays for Faisalabad Sherdils in Super Kabaddi League, one of the stronger sides which finished as runners-up in the first season. Despite not winning the tournament, Nasir Ali received the man of the series award for being the top-scorer of the league.
Waqar Ali (Raider)
Waqar Ali, the talismanic raider, plays for Gujrat Warriors in Super Kabaddi League (SKL) in Pakistan. His side were the champions in the first season and he is one of the two players from the winning team who will be playing in this tournament.
Akhlaq Hussain (Raider)
The 26-year-old raider plays for Peshawar Haiders in Super Kabaddi League. With plenty of experience playing at an International level, he is one of the men to watch out for as he is always on the prowl. He was also a part of the Pakistan team which won the 2010 Asian Games bronze medal in Kabaddi.
Mudassar Ali (Raider)
Mudassar Ali plays for Lahore Thunder in Super Kabaddi League and will be filling in the boots as the third raider of the team.
Muhammad Imran (All-rounder)
An extremely capable all-rounder, Muhammad was part of Gujrat Warriors which won the inaugural edition of the Super Kabaddi League held in Pakistan. The talented player, who has the knack of scoring a lot of points in both departments, will also be looked at closely by the Indian team.
Wasim Sajjad (Defender)
Wasim Sajjad played for Patna Pirates in the first season and Telugu Titans in the second season of PKL. He had 27 tackle points in PKL Season 1 and his solo tackle against Kashiling Adake in the first season is one to be remembered forever, making him one of the most feared players back then. The 25-year-old now plays for Multan Sikandar in SKL.
Kashif Razzak (Defender)
The defender is one of the stars of Kashmir Jaanbaaz. He was also part of the Pakistan squad which won Gold at Kabaddi 2016 Asian Beach Games.
