The Pro Kabaddi League is back with its Season 11! And with the first day filled with exhilarating action, fans can’t wait to have more action lined up for them. For the first two matches of the new season, the Telugu Titans took on the Bengaluru Bulls followed up by the clash between Dabang Delhi and U Mumba. Amongst the many talking points from the first day of Kabaddi Action, was the Elephant in the room, Naveen Kumar and his road to resurgence.
Dabang Delhi’s Captain and star raider suffered a horrific injury in the middle of last season and his comeback was guaranteed to have a big reaction. But in life, something once broken, may not go back to what it was before. In sports, especially in a physically demanding sport such as Kabaddi, Injuries, more often than not are the main villains.
Before getting injured, in the 6 games that he played last season, Naveen Kumar recorded 72 raid points and was leading the charts for the best raider in the league. Those 72 raid points came from a mere 99 raid attempts. A very fascinating feat to say the least. But on the night of his big return to the bright lights of the PKL, Naveen Kumar managed only 2 raid points from a total 13 raids, this included a solitary touch point.
How can you not fear the worst? Still only 24 years of age, the Naveen Express might not ever touch the frightening speeds it once produced as if it were a piece of cake. This lack of speed was clearly visible last night on the mat against the U Mumba defence led by the very experienced Sunil Kumar.
Dabang Delhi Is Now Ashu Malik’s Team, Not Naveen Kumar’s
Even though Naveen was like a toothless creature on the mat, Delhi never felt his absence in the raiding department as Ashu Malik made sure that the U Mumba defence had someone to fear. The man who wasn’t even a part of the starting 7 up until Naveen’s injury last season has now firmly established himself as the main man in the Dabang Delhi setup.
While the Naveen Express might never clock the numbers it used to, Ashu Malik’s presence is a good enough replacement for the 24-year-old. But still, this does raise concerns for Dabang Delhi.
