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A superlative effort from the Men in Blue saw them emerge as the champions and clinch a comfortable 44-26 victory over Iran in the summit clash as the Kabaddi Masters 2018 came to a close at the Al Wasl Sports Club in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The six-team competition, which featured teams from India, Iran, Pakistan, Kenya, Argentina and Republic of South Korea witnessed some thrilling action as the teams put their best foot forward in a bid to stamp their authority in the tournament.
On one hand, Argentina and Kenya, the latest entrants at this level came into the competition with some exciting names in the squad but were left to face the harsh reality as neither of the teams could notch up victories from their group stage matches but finished with a lot of positives.
On the other hand, India and Iran, unbeaten on their path to the finals exhibited some top-flight kabaddi all the way through and enjoyed some fantastic bench strength, brushing aside strong challenges from South Korea and Pakistan respectively in the semifinals to set up a repeat fixture from the finals of the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup.
All through the tournament, most of the teams relied on their defensive units for a majority of their points which did not undermine the performance of some of the raiders, who stole the spotlight with their raiding prowess. Here are the top five raiders from the competition.
#5 Muhammad Nadeem - Pakistan
The young Pakistan raider was in his elements in most of the matches barring the semifinals and his contribution to the Pakistan setup was instrumental in their qualification for the knockout stages.
Alongside Mudassar Ali, Nadeem's nippy raiding was a vital contributing factor to Pakistan's dominance over Kenya in both their group stage matches in the round-robin stages as the talented raider went about his task with ease and kept Pakistan in the driver's seat at all times.
Even against the Indian setup in the group stages, Nadeem used his reach and agility to good effect as he managed to make matters difficult for the Indian defense.
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#4 Mohammad Maghsoudlou - Iran
Iran came into the contest bereft of some big names in their squad, which raised some big questions on their strategies ahead of the tournament. The only two names which were recognized were Hadi Tajik and Mohammad Magsoudlou.
True to his name, Mohammad Maghsoudlou shone for Iran right through the competition, leading the way with some big raids and made his presence felt as he picked some important points that led Iran all the way to the finals of the competition.
Against South Korea, Magsoudlou was the star for Iran as he managed to notch up a Super 10 to his name and also effect a 'High 5' across the two matches which underlined his importance to the Iran team as one of their best raiders in the competition.
#3 Jang Kun Lee - South Korea
Captaining the South Koreans having taken over the mantle from regular skipper Dong Ju Hong, the talismanic raider was at his best right through the tournament, leading the way with some fine raids and kept South Korea in the hunt with his ability to pick points at regular intervals.
Traveling to both sides of the court at a lively pace, Lee brought all of his Pro Kabaddi League experience to the fore and exhibited his exciting mix of firm kicks, running hand touches and deft toe touches that unsettled the best of defenses in the tournament.
The talented Korean came into his own against Iran when he picked up a Super 10 but unfortunately could not see his team through. Against India, in the semifinals, Jang Kun Lee's raiding kept the pressure on the Indian team as he managed to pull off an early super raid to help Korea gain an early lead and kept chipping away with raid points which unfortunately went in vain.
#2 Monu Goyat - India
Coming into the tournament with all the spotlight on himself with a massive ₹151 lakh contract from the Pro Kabaddi League season six auctions, Monu was undoubtedly under a lot of pressure making his national debut but it did not deter him from going about his task and running through the opposition defense.
Having missed out from a place in the starting seven against Pakistan in the opener, Monu made most of his inclusion against Kenya as he notched up a 'Super 10' and continued his fine run against Pakistan, picking up seven raid points after coming on as a substitute.
Against South Korea in the semifinals, Monu amassed six more raid points to keep India in the hunt at all times during the contest and also made a huge impact in the finals against Iran. In a squad boasting of some fine talent such as Pardeep Narwal, Rahul Chaudhari, Rohit Kumar amongst others, Monu made his presence felt with some fantastic raiding that added more glitter to India's campaign.
#1 Ajay Thakur - India
Captaining the squad in only his second major tournament of his glittering career, Ajay Thakur not only finished as the top raider of the tournament but also led India to the title of the Kabaddi Masters 2018.
The only constant presence in the squad for all of India's matches, Ajay Thakur led the way with his supreme raids and the ease with which he picked up points rubbed off on the rest of his teammates as India shrugged off every opponent that came their way.
Ajay Thakur's nine points in the final encounter against Iran highlighted his purple patch in the tournament to add to his 'Super 10' against Korea and seven raid points against Pakistan in India's third group stage game the highlights of his magnificent campaign.
Gifted with a magnificent reach and a tall frame, Ajay made optimum use of his tremendous reach to accumulate points and finished as probably India's best player from the tournament with his vital tackles too holding India in good stead throughout.
