Pro Kabaddi 2019: 3 players Haryana Steelers may release before next season

The seventh edition of the Pro Kabaddi League saw the rise of Haryana Steelers as the team management’s decision to unite the pair of Rakesh Kumar and Dharmaraj Cheralathan worked wonders for the franchise. After a disappointing outing in Season 6, Haryana Steelers bounced back strongly in Pro Kabaddi 2019.

Courtesy of their 13 victories from 22 fixtures, the Steelers occupied the fifth spot on the standings and progressed to the playoffs. Even though they could not win their Eliminator match versus U Mumba, the Dharmaraj Cheralathan-led unit showed a huge improvement this year.

The raiding trio of Vikash Kandola, Vinay and Prashanth Kumar Rai worked as a well-oiled unit whereas Ravi Kumar, Sunil and Vikas Kale supported their captain in the defence. Although Haryana Steelers qualified for the playoffs this year, they will look to make a few alterations to their squad before PKL 2020 starts. Here is the list of three players Haryana Steelers may release ahead of the next season -

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#3 Kuldeep Singh

Kuldeep Singh played at the left corner position for Haryana Steelers

Matches - 12, Tackle Points - 11, Average Successful Tackles/Match - 0.91

In Pro Kabaddi 2018, left corner defender Kuldeep Singh had emerged as a breakout star from Haryana Steelers with 49 tackle points in 22 matches. He had picked up 2 High 5s in that season and it seemed like he would threaten the opposition raiders this season too.

However, the same never happened. The defender featured in only 12 matches during Pro Kabaddi 2019, amassing 11 tackle points at a below-par average of 0.91 successful tackles per match.

His tackle strike rate took a massive dip this year. Singh had a tackle strike rate of 46.66% in 2018 but it fell to a mere 28.2% in Season 7. Since the Steelers have a stellar left corner defender in the form of Dharmaraj Cheralathan, they might release Singh from their team.

#2 Parveen

Parveen played at the left cover position for Haryana Steelers

Matches - 8, Tackle Points - 4, Average Successful Tackles/Match - 0.37

Just like Kuldeep Singh, the left cover defender Parveen had played for Haryana Steelers in Pro Kabaddi 2018 as well. Thanks to his 28 tackle points in Pro Kabaddi 2018, the team management of Haryana Steelers kept him in the squad for the 2019 season. Parveen kicked off the season with a bang as he scalped 4 tackle points against Puneri Paltan.

This performance cemented his place in the playing seven for the next few games. However, he could not take a single tackle point in those matches. Parveen ended the season with just 4 tackle points as he let the fans down with his failures.

In the 2018 edition, he had scored 28 tackle points for the Haryana Steelers at an average of 1.05 successful tackles per match. Since he is an upcoming player, Rakesh Kumar and Co. would have expected him to better his Season 6 numbers in Pro Kabaddi 2019.

With a substandard tackle strike of 23.52% in Pro Kabaddi 2019, the chances that Haryana Steelers keep him are very low.

#1 Selvamani K

Vinay's rise drove the attention away from Selvamani K's below-par show

Matches - 7, Raid Points - 11, Average Raid Points/Match - 1.57

Billed by many as the ‘Do-or-Die’ raid specialist, Selvamani K could not live up to the expectations in Pro Kabaddi 2019. The Tamil Nadu-born player had received a bid worth Rs. 16.5 lakhs from the Haryana Steelers but he performed pretty poorly.

Since Vikash Kandola and Prashanth Kumar Rai were dealing with injuries at the start of the season, Selvamani K was a regular feature in the starting seven. The fans felt that Rakesh Kumar would face a dilemma when Kandola and Rai would recover. However, Selvamani’s disappointing display ensured that the coach does not have any confusion in the decision-making process.

The former Jaipur Pink Panthers star did not register a single Super 10 in PKL 2019 as his best performance came against Jaipur where he scored 5 points in the game after attempting 18 raids and 2 tackles.

Haryana Steelers have Vinay and Naveen in their raiding department apart from Kandola and Rai. Hence, it will not be a surprise if they release Selvamani from their squad.