Dabang Delhi KC roared back to life in the Pro Kabaddi League Season 10, riding on the blistering raids of its talismanic captain, Naveen Kumar, to defeat Bengal Warriors 38-29. The victory not only revived its campaign but also saw Naveen etch his name in the PKL record books at the SDAT Multi-Purpose Indoor Stadium here on Monday.
The PKL 8 champions started the Chennai leg of PKL 10 on shaky ground, hovering near the bottom of the table with two wins and three losses. That perhaps explained why coach Rambhir Singh Khokar decided to field Naveen in the playing 7 despite his left hand being heavily taped due to a dislocated finger.
Nicknamed the ‘Naveen Express’, the 23-year-old had been warming the bench since December 11 due to his injury. However, Delhi’s 23-30 loss to Puneri Paltan triggered something in the raider from Sultanpur, Haryana. Showing no signs of ring rust, Naveen accumulated a staggering 11 raid points in 21 attempts, all while meticulously avoiding any pressure on his injured hand.
“The day I got my fingers dislocated, I started practising against the advice of the coach. I wanted to know how to keep the injured hand away. All coach sir told me was to stay in and motivate the players and avoid injury,” Naveen revealed after the game.
With Naveen holding one end up, the team rose to help him in unison. High-fives from Ashish and Yogesh, coupled with Mohit’s four crucial points, fueled the team’s defensive unit. Bengal’s strongman, its captain Maninder Singh, was always kept under control with ‘Mighty Mani’ spending over 10 minutes off the mat. Maninder waged a lone battle, helping Bengal (19 raid points) stay ahead of Delhi’s 15, but the latter’s 17 tackle points compared to Bengal’s nine was enough to seal the win.
Naveen’s exceptional performance went beyond the final score; it marked a historic milestone. With his 11 raid points, he reached the coveted 1000-raid-point mark in PKL history, becoming the fastest player to achieve this feat.
Like a fish to water
Kabaddi sometimes thrusts mammoth responsibilities on young shoulders - a true ‘perform or perish’ sport which makes or breaks talents. Coach Khokar rightly points out that not all great raiders make great captains but Naveen’s comfort in being in command will leave the coach delighted.
How he handed his overenthusiastic teammate Vishal Bhardwaj, who has more experience than him, when he was having a go at Bengal’s Shrikant Yadhav during a team review showed his leadership quality. “A brilliant raider doesn’t need to be a good captain, but Naveen is both. He’s leading the young squad with example and love,” Khokhar said.
Naveen Kumar warned teammate Vishal Bharadwaj to pay heed to the umpire’s call during a team review in Dabang Delhi’s Pro Kabaddi League match against Bengal Warriors. | Photo Credit: Lavanya Lakshmi Narayanan/ Sportstar
That said, Naveen is a raider -- who has had to grow up fast, given how he’s been the lifeline of this side since 2018 -- has not lost his childlike wonder and innocence. While coach Khokar praises him effusively, he’s seated there pressing his guru’s leg to keep the adulation short and joking around with the media.
With the win in the bag, the automatic next question was how the hand was coming along and if Naveen has earned more time to rest.
“Zyada kuch nahin, bas dislocation hua hai (it’s just a dislocation, nothing big),” Naveen said. “You saw me out there, I am fine. We’ll keep performing well,” he added with a smile. While it’s still early stages of the league, if the leader is anything to go by, Delhi can rest easy as it looks towards securing a spot in the playoffs.
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