Pardeep Narwal, popularly celebrated as Dubki King, is a star kabaddi player with multiple records in the PKL. His records include “most points racked up in a single season” and “all-time high scorer” in the league! The “Dubki King” has scored 1100+ league points and now plays for the team U.P. Yoddhas. He has also represented India in international leagues.
Kabaddi: From Ancient Roots to Modern Leagues
The history of kabaddi could be as long as thousands of years. Legends of Buddha and Lord Krishna describe the sport in its primitive form. This is a peek into the glorious past and dynamic present of this game called kabaddi.
Kabaddi Roots
The exact origin is unknown, but a widely accepted belief is that kabaddi originated in the Indian subcontinent during prehistoric times. Some theories place its origin in the Vedic period from 1500-500 BC, while others attribute it to Maharashtra.
Recent Times
The 1920s marked the first organised kabaddi contests in India. In 1923, standard rules were fashioned, and in 1950, the All-India Kabaddi Federation was formed. International interest in this game was seen when it was introduced at the 1936 Berlin Olympics and exhibited at the Indian Olympic Games in 1938. It was inducted as an Asian Games sport in 1990, and the Indians dominated it.
Present: Kabaddi Reaching New Heights
In the past few years, kabaddi has revived with great fanfare, with two main reasons being the launching of professional leagues such as Pro Kabaddi.
These leagues introduced new athletic levels into the game, more strategised elements, and enhanced viewership.
Today, Kabaddi has international notes, taking the game to countries such as Iran, Bangladesh, and the USA, where it is being played enthusiastically. Though coming from the ancient roots of India, kabaddi is most definitely a sport of the present period. Today, kabaddi is fast acquiring the status of being one of the most exhilarating and dynamic sports.
Related Read: Pro Kabaddi Betting Tips: Ultimate 10-Step Guide to Success
History of Kabaddi Within the Family
Pardeep Narwal was born on 16th February 1997 in a small village named Rindhana village in the Sonipat district of Haryana. Watching his father and uncle play at the Playing Field of Kabaddi inspired Pardeep to develop a great love for the game since childhood. His coach, Naresh Narwal, helped him start playing kabaddi regularly.
Pardeep told the Pro Kabaddi team, “I didn’t even realise this when I started practising with them, and soon, I was training in a structured manner with my guru.” By age fourteen or fifteen, I was competing in regional competitions. I haven’t played any other sport since then except kabaddi.
From Sonipat to the Pro Kabaddi League
Bengaluru Bulls coach Randhir Singh Sehrawat initially recognised Pardeep Narwal’s potential. Sehrawat was invited as the chief guest to a small kabaddi competition in Haryana, where he saw a young man, Pardeep, win a difficult raid. Impressed, Sehrawat decided to mentor the young player for Pro Kabaddi.
“There was no way out of a tackle, but somehow, he managed it. If he could pull that off, I knew he could do much better with a bit of training,” Sehrawat mentioned while getting interviewed by the Indian Express in 2016.
Since then, Pardeep has not looked back. He made his Pro Kabaddi debut in Season 2 for the Bengaluru Bulls against the Patna Pirates, a team with which he later secured three Pro Kabaddi titles.
Journey of Pardeep Narwal to the ‘Record-Wrecker’
Pardeep Narwal played his inaugural Pro Kabaddi season with the Bengaluru Bulls before moving to the Patna Pirates in Season 3. In that season, he accumulated 116 raid points in 16 games and finished at the top of the competition.
He was one of the principal raiders for the Patna Pirates in the following two seasons, making them the only team in this league’s history to have won three successive Pro Kabaddi titles.
Over time, Pardeep refined his signature move, the “Dubki,” and was dubbed the “Dubki King” for his impeccable mat performance.
Pardeep Narwal broke the record for the most points in a single Pro Kabaddi season in Season 5 with his 369 raid points in a single season. He set the record for the most points in a single raid that year after he scored eight points in the Eliminator against the Haryana Steelers. Season 6 saw Pardeep earn 233 raid points from 21 matches, a little less than his usual level of performance.
However, he recovered the following season, amassing 302 raid points in 22 games. Despite his outstanding performance, his squad could not advance to the tournament’s knockout stages.
Pardeep Narwal left the Patna Pirates before Season 8 and went up for auction, making him the most expensive player in Pro Kabaddi history. The U.P. Yoddha obtained his services with a record bid of INR 1.65 crores.
Also Read: List of PKL Top Raiders in All Season
He is the first player in Pro Kabaddi history to win the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) title twice (in Seasons 4 and 5).l. His record-breaking achievement has also earned him the moniker “Record-breaker” Pardeep within the kabaddi community.
Let’s briefly take a look at Pradeep’s Stats.
| Pro Kabaddi Season | Team | Auction Price | Matches | Raid points |
| Season 2 | Bengaluru Bulls | – | 6 | 9 |
| Season 3 | Patna Pirates | – | 16 | 116 |
| Season 4 | Patna Pirates | INR 20 lakhs (sold) | 16 | 131 |
| Season 5 | Patna Pirates | INR 55 lakhs (retained) | 26 | 369 |
| Season 6 | Patna Pirates | INR 60.50 lakhs (retained) | 21 | 233 |
| Season 7 | Patna Pirates | INR 77.83 lakhs (retained) | 22 | 302 |
| Season 8 | U.P. Yoddha | INR 1.65 crores (sold) | 24 | 188 |
Creating an Impression on the National Stage!
In 2016, Pardeep Narwal was called up for the national team because of his reliable performance in Pro Kabaddi. In his short international career thus far, he has won gold at the Asian Kabaddi Championship in 2017, won the Kabaddi World Cup in 2016, won the Dubai Kabaddi Masters in 2018, and was a member of the South Asian Games gold medal-winning team in 2019.
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