Deepak Niwas Hooda
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Arguably the quickest player on a kabaddi mat, it’s hard to box Hooda into a type. Every time the opposition feels like they have him found out, he steps up his game – versatility and unpredictability being the key. A player who was considered as part of the herd, Deepak’s rise to the cream of the crop has been nothing short of meteoric.
Since season 1, Hooda was always in the fray, putting in above average performances. But he’s now in a situation where his exploits will always be compared with the best of the best in the league. This pressure though doesn’t seem to faze him one bit. Every time he steps up to raid, that lightning fast running hand touch of his does the talking. No one does it better than him.
Ajay Thakur
It’s easy to describe Ajay Thakur’s season 4 performance as below par. The lanky attacker could muster just 63 raid points. Season 3 was no better wherein he picked up a measly 52 points. Set aside the statistics for a minute and you see a player who’s easily capable of winning a kabaddi match by himself. His skills were on display at a global pedestal at the recent World Cup.
He was by far the best player of the tournament, overshadowing the likes of Pardeep and Rahul. Come to think of it, Thakur is a player you expect to score a century of points every season. He might not top the charts but you can ignore Thakur at your own peril. It wouldn’t be far-fetched to see him catapult himself above his peers on this list, come season 5. Picking him over Pardeep might be an unpopular choice. The both of them are a rare breed of players who are absolutely fearless on the mat.
