The Pro Kabaddi League has grown as a brand across the length and breadth of the country ever since its inception in 2014. From the early days, when Rakesh Kumar and Anup Kumar were the superstars to this day when Naveen Kumar, Pawan Kumar, and Pardeep Narwal have been the poster boys of the league, the brand image has only grown. Fans have followed the league religiously and here are 5 interesting facts about the league.
1. Pro Kabaddi League was held twice in 2016
The PKL was meant to be an annual event when it was launched in 2014. However, the early success of the league prompted the organizers to ameliorate the action. In 2016, the tournament was held twice. The third edition was held from 30th January to 5th March while the following season started on 25th June and continued till 31st July. However, injuries were a major cause of concern and the expansion of the league to 12 teams meant that the following years had only one edition.
2. Patna Pirates is the only team to register a hat-trick of titles
There have been sporting leagues where certain teams have dominated particular years. The Chennai Super Kings dominated the Indian Premier League in the early 2010s while the Mumbai Indians were supreme in the latter years of the decade. Real Madrid won 4 Champions Leagues in 5 years from 2014 to 2018 and the same can be said about the Patna Pirates. The green outfit coached by Ram Meher Singh and with Pardeep Narwal in their ranks were invincible from season 3 to season 5 and had a plethora of stars like Maninder Singh, Monu Goyat, Fazel Atrachali to name a few who were an instrumental part of their squad.
3. Pardeep Narwal is the only player with 1000 raid points
Pardeep was released by the Pirates ahead of the all-important season 8 auction
The raider has been known as a record-breaker and the stats prove why. He is the only raider to score more than 1000 points and led the Patna Pirates to the title from season 3 to season 5. He is plying his trade for the U.P. Yoddha in the ongoing season of the Pro Kabaddi League.
4. Anup Kumar is the only captain to feature in three finals
Just like Patna Pirates in 2016-2017, U Mumba was a dominant franchise in the initial seasons. The franchise played in the final of each of the first three editions and was led by Anup Kumar who is arguably the greatest tactician the game has ever seen. The captain was blessed with Mohit Chillar, Surender Nada, Fazel Atrachali, and Rishank Devadiga in his team. The 37-year old is currently the head coach of the Puneri Paltan franchise.
5. Manjeet Chillar has the most tackle points
Manjeet Chillar has been a part of the PKL since its inception
The Dabang Delhi defender has the most tackle points in the history of the league. With 361 points in the 8 seasons so far, Chillar has been one of the most experienced players in the circuit. He was already an established player before the commencement of the league and led the Bengaluru Bulls in the initial seasons before moving to Puneri Paltan. He again changed his teams to move to Jaipur Pink Panthers and was a part of the Tamil Thalaivas for a couple of seasons before moving back to the Pune-based team ahead of PKL 8.