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Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 7 was won by the Bengal Warriors, who went on to clinch their maiden trophy. The Warriors beat Dabang Delhi in a thrilling final in Ahmedabad.
Unfortunately for the Warriors, their captain Maninder Singh had to miss out on the final due to an injury. He was also their best raider that season, accumulating 205 raid points. Maninder eventually finished as the fifth-best raider of PKL 7 as well.
In such a scenario, Iranian all-rounder Mohammad Nabibakhsh led the Bengal Warriors. Taking over the captaincy in the final, Nabibakhsh led from the front, also delivering a title-winning performance by scoring 10 points. He found able support from the experienced Sukesh Hegde, who contributed eight crucial points.
Despite a terrific 18-point effort from Naveen Kumar, Dabang Delhi fell short, with the final score reading 34-39 in favor of the Warriors. The Bengal Warriors had a brilliant run throughout the season. With 14 wins, five defeats, and three losses from 22 league stage games, they accumulated 83 points.
They finished second in the points table, only behind Dabang Delhi, who were the table-toppers. Bengal Warriors beat U Mumba in the semi-final. It was a nail-biting encounter as the Warriors eventually edged past Mumbai by a mere two points to earn a spot in the final. Sukesh Hegde top-scored for the Warriors with eight points.
Nabibakhsh led the Warriors in the semi-final as well, displaying exceptional leadership skills in the absence of Maninder in the playoffs. Head coach BC Ramesh led Bengal to their maiden PKL title in Season 7.
The Bengal Warriors came close to winning the title in the previous two seasons. They lost the first eliminator to Dabang Delhi during Season 6. In Season 5, they lost the second qualifier to eventual champions Patna Pirates. It was finally in Season 7 when the Warriors went all the way to lift their maiden PKL trophy.
Which other teams have won the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) trophy only once?
Apart from the Bengal Warriors, three other teams have won the PKL trophy only once in the history of the league. These teams are U Mumba, Bengaluru Bulls and Dabang Delhi.
U Mumba won the second edition of the tournament in 2015 when they beat the Bengaluru Bulls in the final. The Bulls went on to win the league in 2019 during Season 6, where they trumped Gujarat Giants.
Season 8 saw Dabang Delhi pip Patna Pirates by just a solitary point in the final to claim the trophy.
