Pro Kabaddi 2019: 5 players who impressed in their debut season

#2 Sumit (U.P. Yoddha)

Sumit attempts an ankle hold on Abhishek Singh

The U.P. Yoddha franchise is known for unearthing some of the best talents in Indian kabaddi, and this was on display yet again this season as young Sumit, drafted into the squad from the NYP program put on a fine display from the left corner, finishing with a fabulous total of 77 tackle points from just 22 matches.

Combining with skipper Nitesh Kumar, Sumit was a force to reckon with all throughout the season, as his fearless tackles and holds brought about some crucial points for his side. Sumit picked up seven High 5s from this season, and even out-scored his captain, shining more light on his magnificent debut season in the PKL.

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#1 Mohammad Nabibakhsh (Bengal Warriors)

Mohammad Nabibakhsh had a great debut season with the Bengal Warriors

Drafted into the Bengal Warriors squad for a huge sum of money, the onus was on Iranian all-rounder Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh to deliver, and he did, scoring an all-important 10 points in the grand finale to outline a maiden a title win for the Bengal Warriors.

However, it was not only in the final did Nabibakhsh impress, as he was on song all throughout the competition, finishing with a total of 122 points from 23 matches. Nabibakhsh was an imperative member of the Warriors side as he accumulated 92 raid points apart from 65 tackle points, including a High 5 against the Bengaluru Bulls at Kolkata.

Yet, his most striking feature all through the season was his impact as captain, and in the absence of Maninder Singh owing to an injury, Nabibakhsh led his side to a win in the semifinal and then a long-awaited title win.