Pro Kabaddi League: 5 raiders who you might not know played for Bengaluru Bulls

Runners-up from the second season of the Pro Kabaddi League, the Bengaluru Bulls will be chasing an elusive title when they take to the mat for their first match against the Tamil Thalaivas on the 10th of October 2018 at the Jawaharlal Indoor Stadium in Chennai.

The Bulls, who were led by versatile all-rounder Manjeet Chhillar in the inaugural season finished in second-last place and against all odds, made it to the finals in the next season where they well felled in the finals by U Mumba. However, since then, the results have not really come their way as they have finished 7th (3rd season), 6th (4th season) and agonizingly missed out on a spot in the playoffs stage from the fifth season despite a stunning resurgence in the final few legs of the previous season.

For the sixth season, the major predicament of being over-dependent on Rohit Kumar seems to have found an answer with the addition of seasoned raider Kashiling Adake and youngsters Pawan Sehrawat and Harish Naik. While the raiding front has seen a lot of different faces, there have been a few who have had quick appearances in Bulls colors.

Here are five raiders, who you might have forgotten to have represented the Bulls in the past.

#5 Rakesh Narwal

The talented raider has played for four different teams in the Pro Kabaddi League, most recently making an appearance for the Gujarat Fortunegiants in the fifth season. However, what most people do not know that he started his career with the Bengaluru Bulls.

Making his PKL debut with the Bengaluru Bulls in Season 2, Rakesh Narwal played a total of 11 matches in the season and did not go too well, picking up just 21 points.

In the third season, he moved to the Patna Pirates where he featured in just a solitary game while for Gujarat in season five, Narwal scored 18 points from 6 matches.

As part of the sixth season, Rakesh Narwal will be raiding for the Bengal Warriors, his fourth team in four seasons.

#4 Yogesh Hooda

Yogesh Hooda is seen raiding against the Bengal Warriors

A burly raider who has often missed shining out amongst the better-known raiders, Yogesh Hooda played for the Bengaluru Bulls during season four of the Pro Kabaddi League and featured in five matches, picking up 16 points in his 54 raids.

Prior to playing for the Bulls, Yogesh Hooda had an unsuccessful set of stints with the Puneri Paltan, where he played the second and third season. In the second season, Hooda could only manage 13 points from 4 matches while in the next, he could not make a strong case for himself as he scored only 8 points from 6 matches.

He will be raiding for Dabang Delhi for the sixth season of the Pro Kabaddi League.

#3 Pawan Kadian

Highly rated in the local circuit for his consistency while raiding, Pawan Kumar Kadian represented the Bengaluru Bulls in the fourth season of the league and managed to amass 21 points from the 9 matches he played in.

Ahead of playing for the Bulls, Pawan Kadian was a constant feature in the U Mumba side where he played the first three seasons of the league and in 25 matches for the Anup Kumar-led side scored 66 raid points.

Pawan had a terrific outing with the Jaipur Pink Panthers in the fifth season where he finished as the Panthers' best raider with 122 points from 21 matches.

For the sixth season, Pawan Kadian will be turning out for Dabang Delhi.

#2 Rajesh Mondal

Rajesh Mondal (Down,left) is seen making a tackle — Rajesh Mondal (Down, left) is seen making a tackle

A do-or-die specialist who thrives on the pressure inflicted on his opponent defenders, Rajesh Mondal's nippy raiding mixed with his acute agility has transformed him into one of the best raiders in the history of the league.

256 points from 78 matches do speak a good deal of Mondal of which 78 points came from his first two seasons with the Bengaluru Bulls where he partnered Ajay Thakur in the raiding department.

For the third season, he moved to the Patna Pirates and could not get too many opportunities but made the most use of the chances given to him in season four, when he picked up 59 points from 15 matches.

The Puneri Paltan snapped up his services for season five and he performed well, 91 points from 24 matches enough to convince the Paltan to retain Mondal for the sixth season as well.

#1 Pardeep Narwal

Pardeep Narwal played for Bengaluru before moving to Patna

An unknown entity in the second season who quickly transformed into a raid monster in the next few seasons, Pardeep Narwal, who is fondly referred to as the 'Dubki King' is one of the best, if not the best raiders in the history of the Pro Kabaddi League.

Narwal currently holds the record for most points in a season (369), most individual points in a single game (34) and the most points in one raid (8) against the Haryana Steelers but one fact that most fans do not know that he started his career with the Bengaluru Bulls.

Pardeep's PKL career started in the second season as he played for the Bulls where he played just 6 matches and scored 9 points. Since then, Pardeep has been a force to reckon with, leading the Pirates to three straight title wins.

Edited by Sripad