Jaipur Pink Panthers skipper Deepak Hooda has featured in all seven seasons of the Pro Kabaddi league and is the third-highest points scorer with 943.
Over the years, Hooda has shared the mat with some of the finest players in the history of the sport and on an Instagram live session, the all-rounder revealed his Pro Kabaddi Dream Team.
Hooda picked himself as the all-rounder in the side as well as the captain. Here’s the rest of the side:
Corners – Surender Nada and Ravinder Pahal
For the Left Corner spot, Hooda went with Indian kabaddi stalwart Surender Nada.
Nada played for U Mumba for the first three seasons of the Pro Kabaddi league and won the title in Season 2. He then joined Bengaluru Bulls for a year before joining Haryana Steelers in Season 5 and captaining the side to a playoff appearance in their debut campaign. The veteran won the Best Defender Award after finishing Season 5 as the league’s leading tackle point scorer. Nada’s average of 3.13 tackle points per game is the second-highest among players over 70 appearances in the Pro Kabaddi league.
For the Right Corner spot, Hooda picked former Puneri Paltan teammate Ravinder Pahal. ‘The Hawk’, as he is fondly known, is the second man to score 300 tackle points in the Pro Kabaddi league. Only Manjeet Chhillar (339) has scored more tackle points than Pahal (326) in the PKL.
Covers – Parvesh Bhainswal and Sunil Kumar
For the two Cover positions, Hooda went with Gujarat Fortunegiants duo Parvesh Bhainswal and Sunil Kumar.
Parvesh and Sunil have been the heartbeat of the Fortunegiants since Season 5 and have scored and assisted more tackle points than any other duo since their debut. Parvesh holds the record for most points by a Cover defender with 86, while Sunil has the second-most with 76.
Raiders – Naveen Kumar and Pawan Sehrawat
Reigning PKL MVP Naveen Kumar was one of the two raiders that Hooda picked in his Dream Team.
The Dabang Delhi K.C. youngster had an incredible debut campaign in Season 6 before embarking on a historic year in Season 7, where he became the third man to score 300 points in a season and smashed the record for most Super 10s in a row with an incredible 21 straight and counting. Naveen led Delhi to the final of PKL Season 7 where they were beaten by Bengal Warriors.
Pawan Sehrawat was the other raider that Hooda picked for his side.
The Bengaluru Bulls raider led his side to the title in Season 6 and was named the league MVP for his incredible campaign. Sehrawat followed that up with another brilliant season, scoring 360 points in Season 7, just nine short of Pardeep Narwal’s all-time record. The Hi-Flyer also set the new record for most points in a single game, with 39 against the Haryana Steelers. Sehrawat won the Best Raider award in Season 7, becoming just the second man to win the PKL title, the Best Raider Award as well as the MVP after Pardeep.
Feature image courtesy: ProKabaddi.com
