The 10th edition of the Pro Kabaddi League will start in just a few days. Over the years, the league has seen terrific performances that has made players into superstars. The league also rewards outstanding performances with the Most Valuable Player award every year.
Stalwarts like Anup Kumar, Manjeet Chhillar, Rohit Kumar and Pardeep Narwal have won the award in the past. InsideSport takes a look at the full list of the MVP award winners across the last nine editions.
Pro Kabaddi League – MVP Award winners
Anup Kumar – 2014
While Jaipur Pink Panthers won the title in 2014, the first player to win the MVP Award was U Mumba captain Anup Kumar. The raider had a terrific season as he scored 155 raid points in 16 matches.
He was instrumental in taking his team all the way to the final. Despite his performance, U Mumba could not go on to win the title as they finished as runner-up.
Manjeet Chhillar – 2015
Manjeet Chhillar led Bengaluru Bulls in the second edition of the Pro Kabaddi League. He displayed his all-round abilities by picking up 67 raid points and 40 tackle points in 16 matches.
His all-round display helped the Bulls reach the final. However the team failed to defeat U Mumba in the summit clash and ended as runners-up. Manjeet’s performance however helped him win the MVP award.
Rohit Kumar – 2016
In his debut season, Rohit Kumar impressed with his raids for eventual champions Patna Pirates. He starred for the champions by scoring 102 raid points from just 12 matches.
He formed a formidable partnership with Pardeep Narwal in the raids for the side. Narwal meanwhile emerged as top raider in the league 116 raid points. However Rohit Kumar was adjudged as the MVP, making him the first player from the title-winning team to bag the award.
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Pardeep Narwal – 2016
The fourth edition of the Pro Kabaddi League was played in the second-half of 2016. It also turned put to be a great season for Patna Pirates as the team created history by sucessfully defending the title.
Pardeep Narwal was yet again the star for the side. The young raider scored 131 raid points for the side, playing a vital role in the team’s success. He finished second in the most raid points tally. His performance helped him win the MVP award that season.
Pardeep Narwal – 2017
Pardeep Narwal continued to showcase his prowess in the raids in the following season as well. This time the league became much bigger with the addition of four new teams.
It was in this season that Pardeep earned the nickname ‘Record-Breaker’. He went on to score 369 raid points from 26 matches that season. This is till today the most raid points scored in a single edition of the league.
His record-breaking performance helped the team win third successive title. He also won the MVP award for the second successive year.
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Pawan Sehrawat – 2018
Pawan Sehrawat rose to prominence in the sixth edition of the Pro Kabaddi League. The Bengaluru Bulls raider topped the raid points charts with 271 points from 24 matches.
With his performance , the Bengaluru Bulls went on to end the dominance of the Patna Pirates as they became the champions for the first time in the league’s history. Pawan was duly adjudged as the MVP of the season.
Naveen Kumar – 2019
2017 saw the rise of another young talent in Naveen Kumar. He made his debut in PKL in 2018 and scored 172 raid points. Immediately in the next season, the youngster entered the 300-raid points club.
He scored 301 points from 23 matches. Despite his team losing in the semifinal, his performance was duly rewarded with the MVP award.
Naveen Kumar – 2021
Naveen Kumar yet again continued to play a pivotal role for Dabang Delhi in the raids. The youngster missed a few matches due to injury. He scored 207 raid points in 17 matches.
However Dabang Delhi went on to win their maiden title in the league. Naveen Kumar also bagged his second successive MVP award.
Arjun Deshwal – 2022
Arjun Deshwal won his maiden MVP award last year. He was the league’s best raider last season with 237 raid points to his name. He was one of the reasons for the Jaipur Pink Pathers going all the way to win the title that year. Like Naveen Kumar and Pawan Sehrawat he will look to continue his form and bag the MVP award for the second time in succession.
