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The seventh edition of Pro Kabaddi came to a thrilling end as the Bengal Warriors defeated Dabang Delhi K.C. by a 39-34 margin to clinch their maiden title at the EKA Arena by TransStadia, Ahmedabad in the summit clash of the season.
Mohammad Nabibakhsh finished as the leading point-scorer for the Bengal Warriors as the Iranian pick up nine raid points, and his form was a major driving factor behind his side's maiden PKL title win.
Sukesh Hegde scored seven raid points, and Ravindra Kumawat's six raid points as a substitute helped the Warriors maintain domination all through the contest. With both teams tied on 17-17 at half-time, the Warriors stood tall maintain the lead and win the contest, despite Naveen Kumar's 18 points.
Looking at the players' overall performance and their vital contributions to their teams, let's take a look at the best playing seven of the tournament.
Right Corner - Nitesh Kumar (UP Yoddha)
Nitesh Kumar emerged as a stalwart for the UP Yoddha this season and followed up his 100-tackle point effort from last season. The corner combination of Nitesh - Sumit went on to score 152 tackle points combined, which is the most by any duo this season.
He had a rough start to the season, with just 23 tackle points in the first 11 matches. However, he soon found his bearings and went on to score 52 tackle points in the next 12 outings at an average of 4.3 tackle points with six High 5s to his name. The ankle hold specialist improved his blocks and thigh holds that played a crucial role in UP Yoddha's eight wins ahead of the playoffs.
Nitesh ended his campaign as the third-best defender of the season with 75 tackle points in 23 total matches this season. He also marshalled his troops extremely well all throughout the season and essayed his role as captain to perfection.
Right In - Naveen Kumar Goyat (Dabang Delhi K.C.)
'Dabang Express' Naveen Goyat re-defined what consistency meant in his campaign for Dabang Delhi K.C. this year. He etched his name in the record books with 22 Super-10s in a single season of PKL, which remains the highest by any player in history. He overtook Pardeep Narwal's record of 19 Super 10s back in the fifth edition.
Naveen also picked up 21 Super 10s in a row, contributing 56.58% of Dabang Delhi's raid points this year. Most of his points came with running hand touches and bonus points, which he precisely executed against various defensive units and finished the season with a successful raid percentage of 63.77%.
Naveen took Dabang Delhi K.C. to the final of Pro Kabaddi 2019 with his sensational raiding and scored 18 points in the summit clash, but was unfortunate to finish on the losing side. Naveen bagged the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament award with 301 raid points in 23 matches at the end of this season.
LRight Cover - Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh (Bengal Warriors)
Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh proved his worth of 77.75 lakhs to the side and led Bengal Warriors to their maiden title in Pro Kabaddi 2019. He performed as a complete all-rounder in both offense and defense, emphasised by the fact that he was the only player to score a Super 10 and a High 5 this season.
Nabibakhsh scored 92 raid points in 23 matches for the side and raided in the crucial situations of the games. He executed timely dives and blocks on the defensive front and finished with a total of 30 tackle points from 65 tackle attempts.His ability to understand the game and raid accordingly has turned him into one of the impressive debutants of the tournament.
Nabibakhsh captained Bengal Warriors in the absence of Maninder Singh for the semifinals and the final. He led the team to the title triumph, and was certainly one of the most impressive foreign players this season.
Center - Pawan Kumar Sehrawat (Bengaluru Bulls)
'Hi-Flyer' Pawan Sehrawat carried Bengaluru Bulls' offense single-handedly and continued his outstanding heroics yet again. Pawan contributed to 64.92% of the team's raid points at an exceptional average of 14.42 raid points per match this season.
Pawan Sehrawat demolished the opposition with all the raiding skills in his arsenal. He executed running hand touches, dubkis, jumps, escapes, and kicks with precision. Pawan scored more than 15 raid points on 10 different occasions, the most by any raider in the season. He earned a spot in the history books by picking up 39 raid points in a single game against the Haryana Steelers, the most by any player in a single game in the history of PKL.
Pawan captained the Bengaluru Bulls as the stand-in skipper, with Rohit Kumar missing out from a few matches in the second half of the tournament. Such was his efficiency on the mat that Pawan clinched the Best Raider of the Tournament award with 346 raid points in 24 matches, apart from 18 Super 10s in the season.
Left Cover - Mahender Singh (Bengaluru Bulls)
Mahender Singh emerged as a dependable left cover defender in the seventh season of Pro Kabaddi. He remained consistent in comparison to his performance last year, while also leading the unit this season on the defensive front.
Mahender Singh scored 61 tackle points from 21 matches at an average of 2.9 tackle points per game. With three High 5s to his name, he contributed with his thigh holds from the left cover position and dives from the left corner as well. His combination with the Saurabh Nandal in the right corner worked well as the second-best corner cover duo of the season with 117 tackle points combined.
It wasn't his best season in comparison to the previous ones, as he finished the season with a 49.19% tackle strike rate. However, Mahender Singh bagged nine Super Tackles, the most for a defender this season.
Left In - Pardeep Narwal (Patna Pirates)
'Record-breaker' Pardeep Narwal was on fire all through the season and broke many records in the seventh season of Pro Kabaddi. He single-handedly contributed to 67.56% of Patna Pirates' raid points, the most by any individual player all through the season.
He etched his name into the record books by becoming the first-ever player to bag 1,000 raid points in the history of the competition. Pardeep finished with a total of 1160 raid points at the end of the season and also crossed the landmark figure of 50 Super 10s and 50 Super Raids in the same season, as he continued his dominance in the competition.
Although the Patna Pirates could not qualify for the playoffs this season, Pardeep finished the season as the second-best rider of this edition, with 302 raid points from 22 matches, at an average of 13.73 raid points per game.
Left Corner - Fazel Atrachali (U Mumba)
Fazel Atrachali topped the charts for the most tackle points this season, and also finished as the best left corner defender for a second successive time. The Iranian led U Mumba into the playoffs this season with a bold defensive display and a composed captaincy.
Fazel scored 82 tackle points in 24 matches at an average of 3.42 tackle points, almost similar to last year's performance where he picked up 83 tackle points. He scored four High 5s in the season at a tackle strike rate of 60.74%.
He executed waist pulls and blocks that took down big-match raiders with ease. He gave opportunities to Abhishek Singh and Arjun Deshwal on the raiding front that helped U Mumba reach the semifinals and owing to his fantastic leadership all through the season, a lot of the youngsters in the side were given an opportunity to shine and make a mark with their skills.
