This is India’s Team for 2016 Kabaddi World cup, This is a dream team because in every playing position India has an immensely talented player
Ajay Thakur
Ajay Thakur is one of the senior players in the Indian squad for 2016 Kabaddi World Cup. He has played at 2014 Asian Games where India bagged a Gold. Ajay, with his experience has won numerous medals including gold in Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games 2013, Gold in 2007 Asian Indoor Games and of course, Gold in 2014 Asian Games. In Star Sports Pro Kabaddi league, he has played for two teams – Bengaluru Bulls and Puneri Paltan.
Anup Kumar
Anup Kumar has been the captain of U Mumba team of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League. Considered as one of the best raiders in kabaddi’s history, he comes from the state of Haryana where he started playing the sport as a hobby. The 32-year old joined the CRPF in 2005, where he practiced the sport, and later went on to represent India at the 2006 South Asian Games in Sri Lanka. Anup went on to win two Asian Games gold medals with the India national kabaddi team in 2010 and 2014. He won the Most Valuable Player award in the first season of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League. He helped his team in winning the second season of the league through his leadership skills and raiding abilities. His record for U Mumba has been extraordinary, which has made him one of the most successful raiders in the sport’s history.
Deepak Hooda
Hailing from Chamaria, near Rohtak, Deepak Hooda had to fight a lot of odds to reach the stage where he stands now. Deepak has been playing professionally for the last 6 years, two of which have been in Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League. Recently, he was part of the Indian squad at the 2016 South Asian Games where India won the Gold. A fierce all-rounder, he is known for his powerful raids and solid defensive qualities. He will be a formidable addition to the Indian team for the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup.
Dharmaraj Cheralathan
Dharmaraj Cheralathan, fondly referred to as Anna by his team mates, is one of the best kabaddi defenders at the age of 41. He played for Bengaluru Bulls in the first two seasons of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League, but made the shift to Telugu Titans side in the third season. His performances led him to play for Patna Pirates in the fourth season of the league where he emerged as the winning captain. ‘Anna’ is an expert at both the right and left corner, accumulating several tackles under his belt across four seasons. Having represented India and Railways, Dharmaraj Cheralathan is one of the true greats to play the game having won many national laurels over a long, and esteemed career.
Jasvir Singh
Jasvir Singh is the talismanic captain of Jaipur Pink Panthers team in Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League. He was a member of the Indian National kabaddi team that won Asian Games gold medal in 2014. His raiding skills helped his side in winning the inaugural season of the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League in 2014. The 32-year old experienced raider is the face of the Jaipur outfit and has taken them to great heights. After a drop in performances in the second and third season, Jasvir bounced back in the fourth season to lead his side to the finals. He is known to be a bit of a maverick and surprises opponents with the dangerous scorpion kick.
Kiran Parmar
Kiran Parmar is an experienced defender and raider who represented Bengaluru Bulls in Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League. Born on 10th February, 1985, Parmar started his Kabaddi career fairly young by representing his schools in nationals tournament. He got injured during Season 1 of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi league while playing for Bengaluru Bulls. Being a specialist in Left corner touch, Kiran Parmar will be a key addition to the Indian team for the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup.
Manjeet Chhillar
The 30-year old all-rounder started his Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League career with the Bengaluru Bulls. Manjeet played the first two seasons for the Bengaluru outfit. He was picked up by Puneri Paltan for the next two seasons of the league. He has proved to be an outstanding addition for Puneri Paltan and has helped the team reach the semi-finals in Season 4 of the league. He is regarded as one of the best allrounders in kabaddi. His sheer strength is there for all to see when he makes his tackles. He is equally famous for his powerful raids. In his league career so far, the all-rounder has scored more than 400 points in the 59 matches he has played in.
Mohit Chhillar
In Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League’s Season one, Mohit Chhillar made a mark for himself with the U Mumba team. Defending the Right Corner, Chhillar made himself a critical part of the team’s defence and continued his unshakable form throughout Season two of the league as well. He went ahead and became the most expensive player for Season 4 of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi league auctions. Hailing from Nizampur, Chhillar is employed with the North Western Railway. He has been playing kabaddi like many of his contemporaries and friends from his town, and has pursued the sport since childhood. He has played at the SGFI (School Games Federation of India) and will be a key asset for the Indian national team.
Nitin Tomar
The 21-year-old has recently emerged as a shining new star on the Indian Kabaddi scene. Attribute it to his services background which has been a veritable production line of wonderful talent over the years, it is not a coincidence that he found love for kabaddi. With an array of kicks and impressive athletic ability, Nitin has become one of the most exciting and valuable players in Indian Kabaddi and for Star Sports Pro Kabaddi league.
Pardeep Narwal
Pardeep Narwal plays for the Patna Pirates team in the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League. He started his league career with the Bengaluru Bulls. The youngster hails from Haryana, a state that has produced a large number of talented kabaddi players over the years. Pirates’ 19-year old raider has been one of the brightest players in the League, finishing season 4 as the most valuable player of the tournament, leading his team to a second consecutive Pro Kabaddi title. In only 38 appearances in the league so far, he has amassed a mammoth 256 raid points. He is rapidly making strides in becoming one of the best raiders in the kabaddi world.
Rahul Chaudhari
Rahul Chaudhari is the captain of Telugu Titans in the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League. He is the most prolific raider in the tournament’s history. He has been with the Titans for all four seasons of the league. He has won the gold medal with the national kabaddi team in the 2016 South Asian Games. The 23-year old raider is known for his sheer speed and agility, often having the ability to decide entire games on his own. With 24 Super 10s to his name, Rahul has amassed 482 raid points in 57 PKL matches making him undisputed king of the raiders.
Sandeep Narwal
Sandeep Narwal is a Telugu Titans player from Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League and, was the mainstay for the Patna Pirates side for the first three seasons of the league. However, he was not retained by the outfit and was bought by the Telugu Titans in the fourth season of the league. The 23-year old is considered an all-rounder but his forte seems to be defending. He has amassed 161 tackle points in the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi league so far, making him one of the league’s best defenders. Along with tackling, Narwal is also competent in the raiding department where he has scored 171 raid points in 62 games. Sandeep Narwal was also adjudged ‘Best Defender’ of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League in Season three.
Surender Nada
Regarded as one of the best Left Corner defenders in Kabaddi, Surender has developed a reputation as an ‘ankle hold’ specialist which left many a raider helpless . The 29-year-old star defender hails from Haryana and has played for U Mumba and Bengaluru Bulls. With his natural skill and passion for the sport, Surender is sure to make his mark when called upon by the national team.
Surjeet
Within a short span of time, Surjeet has shown that he can be a valuable part of any team, be it at the domestic level or the international level. He recently won India a Gold at the South Asian Games. A versatile defender who can play in multiple positions, Surjeet has a powerful block in his arsenal and often uses it to great effect with his keen sense of timing. A stalwart in defence for the Services Kabaddi team, Surjeet can play a strategic role when called upon.