Pro Kabaddi 2019: Top 3 teams who scored the most tackle points

The seventh season of Pro Kabaddi 2019 ended last Saturday in Ahmedabad as the Bengal Warriors defeated Dabang Delhi K.C. in the final and won their first ever PKL championship. Bengal became only the fifth team in Pro Kabaddi history to lift the trophy as they joined Jaipur Pink Panthers, U Mumba, Patna Pirates and Bengaluru Bulls in the elite club.

The raiders ruled the 2019 edition of PKL, however, there were some defenders like Fazel Atrachali, Nitesh Kumar, Sumit, Surjeet Singh, Parvesh Bhainswal and Sandeep Dhull who made sure that the raiders stay in control. In the 137 fixtures played this season, the defensive units scored 2,770 tackle points at an average of 20.21 tackle points/match.

Tamil Thalaivas’ defence was the only one which did not surpass the 200 tackle points milestone this season as all the other teams scored an average of 234 tackle points. Here, we will have a look at the top three teams with the most tackle points in Pro Kabaddi 2019 -

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#3 Jaipur Pink Panthers - 240 tackle points

Jaipur Pink Panthers finished at the seventh place on the points table

The inaugural champions of the Pro Kabaddi League, Jaipur Pink Panthers had dominated the proceedings in the initial part of this season. However, Deepak Hooda’s men lost their momentum in the second half to miss out on a place in the playoffs.

The defensive unit of the team played well this season. Apart from the seasoned pros like Sandeep Dhull and Amit Hooda, the young talents Vishal and Santhapanaselvam made their mark in the defence.

Amit Hooda played 16 matches this season and scored 44 tackle points while the team’s left corner, Sandeep Dhull earned a place in the top 5 of the ‘Most Tackle Points’ list with 74 tackle points.

Santhapanaselvam impressed in the limited opportunities he received and Vishal proved to be the find of the season for Jaipur as the all-rounder aggregated 47 tackle points with 2 High 5s.

#2 U.P. Yoddha - 260 tackle points

U.P. Yoddha lost to the Bengaluru Bulls in the extra time of their eliminator match

The comeback kings of the Pro Kabaddi League, U.P. Yoddha had kicked off their season on a losing note and they could not garner any momentum in the first few matches. However, the comeback of Rishank Devadiga and Nitesh Kumar’s return to form took U.P. Yoddha to the playoffs.

The defenders of the Lucknow-based franchise outshone the raiders as the pair of Nitesh Kumar and Sumit finished in the top 3 of the defenders’ leaderboard. The corner defenders combined forces to score over 150 tackle points between themselves.

Ashu Singh played at the right cover position for U.P. Yoddha and even he proved his worth with 41 tackle points in his debut season. The left cover defender, Amit supported him with 31 tackle points as the defensive quartet of U.P. Yoddha decimated the opposition raiders.

The Yoddhas scored an average of 11 tackle points per match in PKL 2019 which shows how well the defensive unit played. However, the team management will look to strengthen the raiding department ahead of the next season and try to seize the trophy.

#1 Puneri Paltan - 264 tackle points

Though none of Puneri Paltan's defenders finished in the top 5 of the 'Most Tackle Points' list, they topped the defensive department of PKL 2019

While U.P. Yoddha played one match more than Puneri Paltan in the seventh season of PKL, they still could not match Puneri Paltan’s tally of tackle points in this season. The Surjeet Singh-led outfit had one of the mightiest defensive units of the tournament with the likes of Girish Maruti Ernak, Sagar Krishna, Manjeet, Hadi Tajik and Jadhav Shahaji supporting their skipper.

The left corner defender, Ernak scored 34 tackle points in 17 matches while Jadhav Shahaji scored two points more than him while playing his debut season for Puneri Paltan. The Iranian defender Hadi Tajik made his presence felt with 16 tackle points. All-rounder Sagar Krishna too scored the same number of points.

The team’s captain, Surjeet Singh led the defensive unit with 63 tackle points in 22 games while the former Patna Pirates star, Manjeet showcased his tackling abilities with 28 tackle points.

It is surprising to note that the best defensive team of the season could not make it to the playoffs as the Pune-based franchise finished the league stage at the 10th position.