Just a few days are left for the much-awaited Pro Kabaddi League Season 9, and fans can’t wait to witness their star players once again. PKL 9 is set to begin on October 7, with the finale set to place in mid-December.
With the mega auction in August, this season is going to be a different one altogether. Most of the stars have left their previous franchises and are set to play for the new ones this time.
Pawan Sehrawat, who was a star player for the Bengaluru Bulls in Season 8, was released by the franchise just ahead of the auction. Teams were unstoppable at the auction to get his services, but Tamil Thalaivas won the battle, in the end, to gain his services for 2.26 crore. The Tamil Thalaivas had a terrible last season and with Pawan in the squad, their fortunes might change this time.
Pardeep Narwal, on the other hand, had an exciting auction where Gujarat Giants bid for 90 lakh to get him, but UP Yoddha used their FBM to retain his services. Ram Mahar Singh, who is the coach of Gujarat Giants this time, had some terrific moments with Pardeep Narwal in the past with Patna Pirates. The inclusion of the ‘Dubki King’ in Gujarat would not have been a surprising one at all.
To replace Pawan Sehrawat, the Bengaluru Bulls opted for Vikash Khandola, which was not a bad choice at all. Vikash is an exceptional player who has won several battles on his own. The active Kabaddi star went for 1.70 crores to the Bengaluru Bulls and is set to become their lead raider. He led Haryana Steelers in the previous edition and showed what he is capable of. The franchise missed the playoff-berth by a margin, but Vikash was appreciated for his performance.
As we are just towards the beginning of PKL 9, let us go back and showcase to you all the winners of the esteemed Kabaddi league, starting from 2014. Here is the list:
PKL 1: Jaipur Pink Panthers
The Men in Pink played their hearts out in the inaugural PKL edition under the captaincy of Navneet Gautam. No one expected Jaipur to win the title as some of the best kabaddi players were playing for the other franchise. The Pink Panthers won 10 games out of 14 in the group stage before meeting the Patna Pirates in the semifinals.
They defeated Patna in a one-sided affair by 38-18 to reach the final of the 1st edition of the PKL. On the other hand, legend Anup Kumar took his side to the final after beating the Bengaluru Bulls in a tight game, 27-23. Both the teams were deserving and excellent throughout the league.
While Anup tried his best to lift the trophy, it was Jaipur’s Maninder Singh who showed his class and helped his side win the first-ever title. Maninder Singh’s Super 10 in the final and good support from Jasvir Singh couldn’t let U Mumba win the trophy.
PKL 2: U Mumba
U Mumba’s fan base was huge, especially because of Captain Cool Anup Kumar. Anup has been a legend for the country and has won various titles over the years. U Mumba, who lost the final in the 2014 edition, came back strongly and won Season 2 after beating Bengaluru Bulls in the final by 36-30. The foremost reason behind their success was their defensive unit, which helped them score 196 points.
With 12 wins in 14 matches, U Mumba were dominating throughout the season. They beat the Patna Pirates successfully in the semifinals before winning against the Bulls in the grand finale. Anup Kumar once again showed his raiding strength with 74 points in the season, while Surender Nada and Mohit Chhillar were the unsung heroes of the camp with 41 and 42 tackle points respectively.
PKL 3: Patna Pirates
This season was the beginning of a champion team that ruled the league for a few years. The Patna Pirates, who played well in the first two seasons, showed their class in the third edition.
The superstar Pardeep Narwal made his grand entry with 116 raid points for Patna. He was the top scorer in the season and has not looked back since then. Sandeep Narwal, on the other hand, topped the charts for his side in defense with 55 tackle points.
The Patna Pirates won 10 out of their 14 matches before beating Puneri Paltan in the semifinals. The final was not that easy as they had to beat the champions, U Mumba. With Anup leading from the other end, the battle went down to the wire, giving Patna their first-ever title.
It was a close encounter in the finale with a score of 31-28. U Mumba’s consistency was brilliant, as was reaching a third consecutive final.
PKL 4: Patna Pirates
Once again, it was the Patna Pirates who won the fourth season of the PKL. With some exceptional performances from Pardeep Narwal and Fazal Atrachali, the Pirates comfortably won their second consecutive title. While Pardeep scored 131 raid points in the season, Atrachali managed to earn 52 tackle points.
The franchise defeated Puneri Paltan in the semifinals, 37-33, to enter the final, where they met the inaugural season winners, the Jaipur Pink Panthers. They comfortably won the encounter with a gap of 8 points to lift their second successive title. At this point, Pardeep had also become everyone’s favourite.
PKL 5: Patna Pirates
Another PKL season! Another victory for the Patna Pirates! This was Patna’s third consecutive PKL title and history was created at that time. With the four new teams added to the tournament, it became more exciting with 12 teams in the frame. Each franchise played 22 matches, and the top six went to the playoffs.
Gujarat Giants, who were playing their first season, won the most number of games with 15, while Patna could only win 10 games in the group stage. Pardeep Narwal was yet again the most successful raider of the season, with 369 points. This was a huge number and is still the most scored in a single season.
The Pirates first defeated Haryana Steelers in a one-sided affair 69-30, then went on to beat Puneri Paltan 42-32. After these 2 eliminator victories, they got the better of the Bengal Warriors in Qualifier 2 before finally beating the Gujarat Giants in the final by 55-38. With 19 Super 10s in a single season, Pardeep Narwal was incomparable at that time.
PKL 6: Bengaluru Bulls
The streak of victories for Patna Pirates finally came to an end with Bengaluru’s win in the PKL 6 season. They played well in some past seasons but couldn’t lift the title till the sixth edition, with Pawan Sehrawat being the hero of the squad.
He scored 282 raid points and became a new sensation for the fans. The Bulls defeated the Gujarat Giants 38-33, who were playing their second consecutive final this time.
It was Pawan Sehrawat’s magnificent performance that took the game away from Gujarat’s hands. He scored 22 points in the final to help his side register a phenomenal victory over a quality side.
PKL 7: Bengal Warriors
Bengal Warriors’ victory saw PKL a new champion in the seventh edition of the tournament. With Maninder Singh scoring at an amazing rate, the Warriors did not look back and reached the finals. Maninder was the player to watch out for in the final, but an injury forced him to sit out of the crucial match.
Keeping in mind Dabang Delhi on the other side, not much was expected from Bengal after this incident. But it was Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh who took the whole responsibility and made sure his team grabbed their first-ever title.
His Super 10 in the finale created history as Bengal defeated Delhi 39-34 to lift the trophy. Maninder, who was leading the Warriors, was the star of the tournament with 205 points.
PKL 8: Dabang Delhi
Winning against Patna Pirates in the final is never easy for any team, but Dabang Delhi showed that it is not impossible. They outclassed the three-time champions to register their maiden PKL victory in season 8. The game was a close affair, ending at 37-36 in the end, thanks to the Super 10s from Naveen Kumar and all-rounder Vijay.
Naveen scored 207 raid points in the tournament, becoming the most valuable player for a second consecutive year. The veteran Manjeet Chhillar, who played his final PKL tournament, scored 52 tackle points, which was the most for his side.
Beating the Patna Pirates with a margin of just 1 point was a sensational feeling for the Dabangs of Delhi. Manjeet, now, will be seen as the assistant coach of the Telugu Titan and his responsibility would be to get them out of their terrible situation.