Pro Kabaddi 2019: 3 youngsters to look out for from PKL 7

VIVO Pro Kabaddi League has been the biggest boon to the sport of kabaddi. This initiative, a joint venture between Mashal Sports and Star India has helped several unknown hard-working kabaddi players become household names.

Legends like Anup Kumar, Rakesh Kumar, Manjeet Chhillar and Dharmaraj Cheralathan earned a whole new fan base while youngsters like Pardeep Narwal, Pawan Sehrawat, Rahul Chaudhari and many more were handed a chance to establish themselves as the new faces of the game.

The Pro Kabaddi League has helped in nurturing the upcoming kabaddi superstars by giving them the exposure and the opportunity to feature with the best in the business. Every year, the fans witness a new youngster take the kabaddi world by storm with his performances.

We can expect the same story to transpire once again in Pro Kabaddi 2019. With the season only a few days away, here are the three youngsters to look out for from the tournament.

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#3 Lalit Chaudhary - Gujarat Fortune Giants

Lalit Chaudhary in action for Gujarat

Young raider Lalit Chaudhary joined Gujarat Fortune Giants in season 6. The 22-year-old player did not get much opportunities in season six but, in the three matches he played, Chaudhary secured 7 points. Apart from his raiding, Lalit secured 4 tackle points for the Ahmedabad-based franchise, including a super tackle.

Chaudhary had a tackle strike rate of 100 percentage which shows that he can prove to be a good all-rounder for Gujarat this year.The Fortune Giants have the likes of Rohit Gulia and Vinod Kumar in the all-rounders contingent and yet this young star can emerge as the X-factor of the team.

#2 Naveen Kumar Goyat - Dabang Delhi K.C.

Naveen Kumar Goyat was the cornerstone of Dabang Delhi in season 6

The first player born in the 21st century to play in VIVO Pro Kabaddi League, Naveen Kumar Goyat emerged as the find of season 6. The then 18-year-old raider played 22 matches for Dabang Delhi K.C and scored a mind-boggling 172 raid points at an average of 7.81 raid points per match.

Kumar registered eight Super 10s in his debut season apart from executing three super raids. The youngster even saved an all-out for his team by completing a super tackle in one game. Naveen was one of the main reasons behind Dabang Delhi's qualification into the second round of the Pro Kabaddi League last year.

The franchise had never reached the playoffs of the tournament, thus marking a historic first for the team. The Delhi fans will have their eyes glued to young Naveen this season as they look to claim their first PKL trophy.

#1 Nitesh Kumar - U.P. Yoddha

Nitesh Kumar is the new captain of UP Yoddha

To lead a side full of talented players is a very tough job, and the team needs an experienced player to plan the strategies. However, the team management of U.P. Yoddha have taken the opposite route and have named 22-year-old right corner defender Nitesh Kumar as their new skipper.

With the likes of Rishank Devadiga, Monu Goyat and Shrikant Jadhav in the squad, the decision to assign the captaincy to Nitesh has raised a few eyebrows but it seems like the Lucknow-based franchise has rewarded the youngster for his consistency in season 6.

Playing only his second season in the Pro Kabaddi League, Nitesh became the first ever defender to cross the 100-tackle points milestone in a single edition of the league. Nitesh scored eight High 5s to guarantee U.P. Yoddha a place in the season play-offs.

Though Nitesh is young, one cannot deny the fact that he has an extraordinary amount of maturity on the mat. With the added burden of captaincy on his shoulders, it will be intriguing to see if he can maintain his individual records in the defense department.