July may be a wee-bit far but the kabaddi extravaganza has already touched upon the excitement of fans all across the nation with the auctions scheduled to take place on the 22nd and 23rd of May for the upcoming season. This time around the league will be bigger by a good margin as compared to the previous editions given the entry of four new teams into the fold in the likes of Gujarat, Haryana, Chennai and Uttar Pradesh.
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A 13-week long sporting fiesta which will more than 130 matches being played, will also see 350+ foreign and Indian players going under the hammer tomorrow at the auctions. With just seven teams out of the existing eight, retaining one elite player each, all the owners will be looking to build the strongest possible side in order to claim glory later this year.
While the top players will definitely be the ones going for the big bucks, Sportskeeda looks at ten other players who could prove to be bargain deals for the teams.
Also read: Pro Kabaddi 2017 Season 5 auction: Full player list and categories revealed!
#10 Nitin Madane
Injuries may have marred this young player’s performance but just a few years ago he had announced his arrival on the Pro Kabaddi scene in quite some style with his raiding prowess.
Having played just 25 matches in the tournament so far representing the Bengal Warriors, Nitin amassed more than 150 points with a stunning average of almost 6 raid points in every match. Devoid of any injury concerns or niggles now, Nitin Madane will surely be a good pick for a team on the hunt of a first-choice raider.
#9 Rohit Kumar Chaudhary
A Services recruit, Rohit came to the fore in Pro Kabaddi only in the third edition, playing for Dabang Delhi. With his jumps and touches, he became quite a threat for the defenders to deal with in the third season notching up 77 raid points in his 21 matches.
Alongside, Kashiling Adake, Rohit excelled at keeping the scoreboard ticking for his team and will thus be a good value-for-money buy at the auctions this time around as well.
#8 D. Suresh Kumar
The 37-year old right-cover defender is one that will bring a combination of experience and skills to the table. Having won the title with Patna Pirates in Season 3 before switching onto Dabang Delhi in Season 4, Suresh Kumar will act as the real anchor for the defence of the team.
As for his statistics, he has 95 tackle points from the 54 matches he has featured in, thus making sure that quite a few owners will take notice of him at the forthcoming auctions.
#7 Sonu Narwal
The tall, lanky raider may have missed the inaugural season of Pro Kabaddi due to his police training but once he came onto the scene in the second edition, he just excelled at what he did.
First for the Jaipur Pink Panthers and then for Puneri Paltan, Sonu Narwal shouldered the responsibility of raiding under pressure situations and on many occasions bailed the team out of trouble as is evident with his numbers, 138 raid points from 33 matches.
#6 K Selvamani
This young gun is surely one key player to watch out for! He excelled in Pro Kabaddi Season 4 at Dabang Delhi, especially at a time when other bigger and talented players in the likes of Kashiling Adake and Rohit Chaudhary were not up to the mark.
He swam against the tide of defenders on many instances, taking his tally up to 97 raid points from 31 matches. With skills and age both by his side, there will quite a few teams vouching for Selvamani at the auctions.
#5 Bajirao Hodage
A right-cover defender, hailing originally from Maharashtra, Bajirao started off his Pro Kabaddi career with the Bengal Warriors before switching onto the Patna Pirates. He played a key role in securing the defence of the Patna and eventually won the Season 4 title with the team.
With 83 tackle points from his 43 matches, Bajirao is surely a force to reckon with and will be an ideal pick for a team looking to build a defensive stronghold.
#4 Rajesh Mondal
A player who can be used in any capacity as a raider as per the coach’s wishes, whether you want him as a first-choice raider to go in and fetch the points early on or in a pressure situation like a do-or-die raid, Rajesh Mondal will more often than not emerge successful.
With his nimble feet and swiftness, he leaves the rival defence stumped at times, and has his numbers to go with this point, 156 raid points from 54 matches. A title winner with the Patna Pirates in Season 3 and 4, Mondal is expected to attract good bids at the auction.
#3 Nilesh Shinde
Not every captain needs to lead from the front, for if you are Nilesh Shinde, just staying at the back of the defense and marshalling the troops in the right direction may suffice. A Bengal Warriors recruit since the inception of the Pro Kabaddi League, the team that picks him will not only purchase a right-corner defender but an able captain as well.
With 115 tackle points from his 54 matches, Nilesh surely knows how to get the defense going.
#2 Vishal Mane
The Wall! If the raider runs into this player on the kabaddi mat, then there is no escape route at all, for there will either be strong body block or a chain tackle or just a thunderous push off the mat coming his way.
With 93 tackle points from 57 matches and 4 High-5’s to go with it, Vishal Mane’s might and brute strength will make him a valuable asset for the team that manages to lure him into their fold.
#1 Shabeer Bapu
A sensation when he gets going, Shabeer Bapu form may have faced obstacles due to his injury concerns in the recent times but each time he falls, he comes back stronger than ever!
A man of pure talent, Shabeer played an instrumental role when U Mumba won the title in Season 2 before switching sides to the Jaipur Pink Panthers in Season 4. His swiftness and agility make for a potent combination as is evident with his 148 raid points from 42 matches.
