Best raiders from senior kabaddi nationals 2021: Deepak Hooda, Vijay Malik in honours list
Rajasthan captain Deepak Hooda emerged as the most successful raider in the recently-concluded 68th Senior National Kabaddi Championship held in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.
In the five matches he played, Deepak Hooda scored a whopping 81 raid points, which included four successive Super 10s.
He didn’t play in the semi-finals, which Rajasthan lost, but Deepak Hooda was instrumental in his team’s campaign.
Deepak scored a massive 23 raid points against Karnataka in the quarter-finals and in the round of 16 match, he scored 15 raid points in Rajasthan’s win over Bihar.
On Wednesday, Deepak scored an astounding 24 raid points in a match against Vidarbha. His other Super 10 came against Punjab in the group stages.
Naveen Kumar was the next best raider in the senior kabaddi nationals. He scored 76 raid points in seven matches for Services, who lost in the final to defending champions Indian Railways.
His efforts included four Super 10s, twice managing 14 raid points in successive matches against Haryana in the group and then Tamil Nadu in the round of 16. Naveen scored 12 in the semis against Maharashtra and eight in the final.
Chandigarh’s Vijay Malik too recorded four Super 10s, in only five matches. He accumulated 63 raid points, including a best of 17 in a match against Telangana in his team’s opening game.
Vijay Malik was also impressive in the quarters against eventual champions Indian Railways, scoring 12 raid points. Chandigarh lost the competitive match 30-34.
Pawan Sehrawat may have only scored 56 raid points in six matches but he held back in the first three games, where he made only 19 raid attempts combined to score a total of 12 raid points. Against Uttarakhand in the round of 16, the Indian Railways captain made only two attempts and didn’t score.
However, Pawan Sehrawat was frequent on the mat from the quarter-final onwards. Against Chandigarh in the quarters, he made 22 raid attempts and scored 14 raid points. He followed it up with 12 against Rajasthan in the semis and saved his best for the final with 18 raid points against Services, marking three straight Super 10s.
Services’ Manjeet Dahiya scored 55 raid points in seven matches, with a game-high of 11 thrice. His performance, however, fizzled out towards the end scoring just four points in two matches in the semis and the final
Rathan K of Karnataka also scored 55 raid points with three Super 10s, but he achieved it in five matches. It included a massive haul of 23 raid points against Delhi. He also impressed in the losing quarters match against Rajasthan with 13.
Four of the top six raiders in the Senior National Kabaddi Championship 2021 play in the Pro Kabaddi league (PKL). Deepak Hooda is in the Jaipur Pink Panthers, Naveen Kumar for Dabang Delhi KC, Pawan Sehrawat for Bengaluru Bulls and Manjeet for Puneri Paltan.
Players who took part in the nations were being scouted for the Indian national kabaddi team.
Senior National Kabaddi Championship 2021: Top raiders
| Raider | Team | Raid Points | Matches | Average |
| Deepak Hooda | Rajasthan | 81 | 5 | 16.2 |
| Naveen Kumar | Services | 76 | 7 | 10.8 |
| Vijay Malik | Chandigarh | 65 | 5 | 12.6 |
| Pawan Sehrawat | Indian Railways | 56 | 6 | 9.3 |
| Rathan K | Karnataka | 55 | 5 | 11.0 |
| Manjeet Dahiya | Services | 55 | 7 | 7.8 |
Photos: Deepak Hooda, Naveen Kumar, Pawan Sehrawat / Instagram