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The Bengaluru Bulls have had a terrific run in the ongoing edition of the Pro Kabaddi League. After finishing at the top of the Zone B standings, the Bulls have made their way to the finals with a win over the Gujarat Fortune Giants in Qualifier 1.
The Bulls' finished their league stage with 78 points on account of 13 wins, 2 ties, and 7 losses to make a place for themselves in Qualifier 1 as the table toppers from Zone B. Their stupendous run of form this season can be compared to their Season 2 exploits, where they made it to the finals only to lose out to U Mumba to finish as the runners-up.
So here are some key elements that would help them to go the distance this time and come home with their maiden Championship trophy.
#3 The Wall: Mahender Singh
Mahender Singh has been associated with the Pro Kabaddi League since Season 1 of the competition, but only got his first opportunity on the mat in the 2017 season.
The left cover defender emerged as a breakthrough star in the Bulls' defense and his partnership with Ravinder Pahal, who operated on the right corner, was appreciated by fans. While their defense did decently well, it was their raiders, barring Rohit Kumar, who led the side down as they couldn't make their way to the playoffs in Season 5.
Carrying his terrific form from last season, Mahender has scored 61 tackle points in the season which includes six High-5s. He has been the best defender for the Bulls' this season and sits at the 7th place of the top defenders' list.
While the youngster hasn't been as consistent as he would have liked to be, but his return to consistency at the business end of the tournament has been quite critical in the Bulls' journey to the finals.
#2 A calm captain: Rohit Kumar
The Most Valuable Player (MVP) in his debut season of the PKL, Season 3, Rohit Kumar announced himself on the scene of Kabaddi and how.
He has been a consistent performer from his debut season, but in his two years at the Bengaluru Bulls, he failed to find support from his fellow raiders, as the Bulls' finished a disappointing fourth in Zone B in Season 5.
This season has been quite different, with Pawan Kumar Sehrawat emerging as the key raider for the side, Rohit got the time and space to operate as a captain and not just a raider.
In the initial matches of the league, Rohit gave his share of raids to an in-form Pawan and took the back-seat to the benefit of the team rather than being selfish. When Pawan's prolificity reduced, Rohit was ready to step in and take over the raiding duties, and since then his partnership with Pawan has spelled doom for their opponents.
The Bulls' captain has not only led his team to their second final in PKL history but also displayed his raiding prowess with 161 raid points at a strike rate close to 40%.
#3 The raider par excellence: Pawan Kumar Sehrawat
This season has been known for the emergence of two excellent raiders on the Pro Kabaddi scene, one is Siddharth Desai from U Mumba, and the other is Pawan Kumar Sehrawat, who although not a debutant, has announced himself on the scene with elan.
He had made his debut in PKL in Season 3 and never was among points in the past three seasons. So the price, ₹52.8 lakhs, that he went for at the auction, was, on one hand, surprising for many, while on the other hand expected by a lot of people who have followed his exploits in the domestic competitions.
Pawan, who plies his trade for the Indian Railways in the domestic competitions, has been terrific in the 2017-18 domestic season with impressive performances at the 65th Senior National Kabaddi Championship as well as in the Federation Cup. His performances made him a hot property at the auctions, and eventually his old team, Bengaluru Bulls outbid the others to get back this star raider.
And, Pawan has repaid the faith of the coaches and management in the best way possible. He has been at his attacking best since the very first match, notching multiple Super-10s on his way to become the top raider of the season.
He has scored a total of 249 raid points at an impressive average of 10.82 raid points per match.
And, now with the Gujarat Fortune Giants making it to the finals of the season, Pawan would hope for a repeat of his Qualifier 1 performance on January 5 to take his team to their first ever trophy in Pro Kabaddi League history.
