PKL 2019 | First time at the top - Dabang Delhi’s journey of complete transformation
Dabang Delhi KC are on a roll in the ongoing PKL as they made it to the top of the points table for the first time in franchise history in the league during their home leg. Delhi’s performance in the competition from the sixth season has been a fairytale one and a story worth telling.
Delhi – the power centre of Indian politics has never been a city with a rich history in games and sports at least as far as winning trophies is concerned. Whether it is Delhi Capitals (Daredevils) in the IPL or Delhi Dynamos in the Indian Super League, the teams have struggled when it comes to results in the sporting leagues. The city, however, has produced some top sportspersons and the list obviously includes the current Indian cricket team skipper Virat Kohli but when it comes to winning trophies in the leagues, Delhi is far behind from cities like Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai.
In the Pro Kabaddi League, things were no different as continuously from the first season, Dabang Delhi KC kept on failing to qualify for the playoffs till the fifth. However, fortunes changed for them last year as they made it to the playoffs for the first time under the leadership of Joginder Narwal and the coaching of Krishan Kumar Hooda who took over the side ahead of the season last time around. Meanwhile, going with almost the same combination, the team is in phenomenal form this year and they are currently at the top of the points table with a total of 44 points from 10 games so far in the league. The team have lost only one game in the league and tied just one which shows how good they have been in the seventh season and have forced other teams and kabaddi Pundits to take them seriously as a title contender in PKL 2019.
The team’s transformation was initiated on May 28, 2018, when the management decided to hand – over the responsibility of the team to well-acclaimed Haryana coach Hooda ahead of the sixth edition. After taking over from Ramesh Bhendigiri, Hooda had a major impact on the style of kabaddi that was on display by the Delhi players on the mat. He had the experience of coaching the senior Haryana team in the National Championships and helped them win the title in 2001 and 2002. Hailing from the kabaddi heartland of India, he was also with Haryana Police and had proper access to many players right from the grassroots.
Hooda went ahead into the auctions with an idea of having an experienced defence and a young raiding unit ahead of the previous season and for that, they brought in Naveen Kumar in the New Young Player (NYP) category and made him the primary raider of the team with Chandran Ranjit and Meraj Sheykh as the two in the support system. The management had full faith on Naveen and despite making his debut in the league last year, he was their top performer and played a pivotal role in taking the side into the playoffs. Naveen ended up with 172 raid points from the 22 matches that he played in the last season. Meanwhile, in this season, he has already registered nine Super 10s to his name and is at the second position on the Top Raiders’ list with 115 points. With eight consecutive super 10s, he has also equalled Pardeep Narwal's previous record. It won’t be wrong to say that Naveen has been the charioteer of Delhi’s juggernaut since the start of the previous season.
© PKLTalking about the defence, Hooda brought in Joginder Narwal, Ravinder Pahal and Vishal Mane into the side in the last edition itself soon after his appointment as the team’s coach. A strong man at the cover position in the defence, Mane had the experience of winning the title with U Mumba in the second edition and Patna Pirates in the fifth. On the other hand, right corner Pahal was Delhi’s one of the most valuable players in the past and had also led the team in the 2015 edition of the league. Hooda also brought him in the ranks to ensure that they have a veteran defensive trio with plenty of experience behind them. However, Hooda had full faith in Joginder, an experienced left-corner defender who is calm-headed and has the capability of taking control of the players. The players, who were selected by the team in 2018, were picked up again for the seventh season as well. Joginder and Naveen were retained while Ranjit, Mane and Pahal were brought back into the squad from the auctions.
Meanwhile, there is one such player who has made Delhi his second home and he is none other than Iran’s star all-rounder Meraj Sheykh. Sheykh, after playing in the second and third season for the Telugu Titans, has been playing for the Delhi team since 2016. The all-rounder was carefully used in the last edition and the home leg in 2018 was successful only because of his exploits in raiding. After ending with 94 raid points in the sixth edition, the former Delhi skipper has been in and out of the team this year but whenever the veteran is provided with a chance, he has performed well. He can be termed as a link between the old and new players of the Dabang outfit.
So, the current Delhi side have players like Sheykh, Joginder, Pahal and Mane who are established names on the kabaddi circuit and someone like Naveen who has made a name for himself with the performance in the last two editions of the league. However, things were not similar in the first five seasons. Delhi players hardly got a look on the list of top raiders and top defenders in the first five seasons apart from the second. The 2015 edition was the only time when Kashiling Adake was the best raider with 114 points from 14 matches and Pahal was the best defender with a total of 60 points from as many games. However, the lack of support from others in the side resulted in the team ending up at the seventh place on the points table with only four games.
However, in the sixth season, they brought in two strong corner defenders, one good cover defender and an experienced all-rounder which ensured that there are enough players who can turn the game on their own in the Delhi side. The only place of concern for Hooda and the Delhi think tank was the left cover position. They now have Iranian Saeid Ghaffari, who is making his PKL debut this season, and Anil Kumar from Telugu Titans in the seventh season. Although apart from a couple of games, both of them have failed and the form of the cover defenders, including Mane, is the only chink in Delhi’s armoury.
Now, with the complete transformation of the team and momentum completely with them, Delhi must be aiming to remain at the top of the table which will help them to be at a comfortable position in the playoffs as well. They have also become the only team to register three wins at home in this season and are unbeaten so far in the home leg with one game to go. This might be the year for Delhi, this might be the best chance for them to lay their hands on the coveted silverware but it will be too early to say considering that PKL is too long a tournament and there are still around 50 days to go for the final.