Pro Kabaddi 2019: Top 5 raiders from the Patna leg

Pardeep Narwal was the top-scorer for Patna
Pardeep Narwal was the top-scorer for Patna

The Patna leg of Pro Kabaddi 2019 ended on a positive note for the Patna Pirates as the home team clinched their first home leg win, a 41-20 victory against the U.P. Yoddha and finished their home leg campaign on a high.

The Pirates first lost 21-34 to the Jaipur Pink Panthers on the opening day of their home leg before a Pawan Sehrawat masterclass, a 29-point effort helped the Bengaluru Bulls register a thrilling 43-42 win over the Bengal Warriors.

On the second day, the Tamil Thalaivas earned a comfortable 35-28 win over the Haryana Steelers before the Pirates succumbed to their second loss, by a 20-41 margin against the Puneri Paltan.

The Pink Panthers failed to keep up their winning momentum as they came up short against Dabang Delhi by a 35-24 margin before the Puneri Paltan held their nerve in tense situations to claim their second win of PKL 7, a 33-31 victory against the Gujarat Fortune Giants.

A nail-biting 28-28 tie between the U.P. Yoddha and Tamil Thalaivas laid a platform for an exciting contest between the Pirates and the Steelers, but the former failed to show up as Dharmaraj Cheralathan's side registered a fine 35-26 win.

On the penultimate day of the Patna leg, the Bulls yet again rode on a Pawan Sehrawat special as they cruised to a 47-26 win against the Telugu Titans while the Bengal Warriors held on to win 32-30 against U Mumba.

In what was the Pirates' final home leg game, the hosts finally rose to the occasion and gave their fans something to cheer about, as they completed a 41-20 demolition of U.P. Yoddha.

While Pardeep Narwal and Pawan Sehrawat continued their fine run, here is the list of the top 5 raiders from the Patna leg.


#5 Vikas Kandola - Haryana Steelers)

Kandola's return has been a big boost for the Steelers
Kandola's return has been a big boost for the Steelers

Prior to the return of ace raider Vikas Kandola from injury, the Haryana Steelers' raiding unit looked slightly shaky, but once Kandola was back in the frame, the youngster led the way for his side form the raiding scheme of things.

Playing his first game as part of PKL 7, Kandola assumed the raiding duties against the Thalaivas and picked up 7 raid points from 15 raids. Although the Steelers lost that game, Kandola's form was a major boost for the side.

In the next game, against the hosts, Kandola was his aggressive best as he kept picking up points and also notched up his maiden Super 10 of the season that led the Steelers to a 35-26 win.

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#4 Rahul Chaudhari - Tamil Thalaivas

Rahul Chaudhari has emerged as the lead raider for the Thalaivas
Rahul Chaudhari has emerged as the lead raider for the Thalaivas

One of the most exciting raiders in the league, Rahul Chaudhari has settled well into his role at the Tamil Thalaivas but is yet to be at his dominant best. The 'poster boy', however, did put up a good show during the Patna leg as he notched up 18 points from two matches.

The Thalaivas faced off against the Steelers in their first clash of the Patna leg but were under the pump very early in the game as they faced a nine-point deficit early into the second half.

However, Rahul Chaudhari took up the onus of bringing about quick points as he used his pace well on the mat and induced errors from the Steelers' defenders. In the end, his 14-point effort turned out to be the game-changer that handed the Thalaivas an unlikely 35-28 win.

In the next game against the U.P. Yoddha, Chaudhari was not at his fluent best but did pick up five points, and his composure helped the Thalaivas eke out a thrilling 28-28 tie.

#3 K Prapanjan - Bengal Warriors

Prapanjan's athleticism was in focus
Prapanjan's athleticism was in focus

A highly talented raider who makes the most use of his tall frame to bring out some terrific running hand touches on the opposition defenders, K Prapanjan's best performance came against the Bengaluru Bulls, albeit in a losing cause.

With Pawan Sehrawat running through the Bengal Warriors' defensive unit, it needed a herculean effort from one of their raiders to bring about points in heaps, and Prapanjan stood tall as he kept chipping away with the bonus points that brought along a touch point.

The lanky raider kept his team in the hunt all through the contest, but sadly, his Super 10 (12 raid points) could not get his team over the line. In the Warriors' next assignment against U Mumba, even as Maninder and Nabibakhsh failed to bring about the points, Prapanjan yet again finished with the highest points.

Although he picked up just 6 raid points, his ability to unsettle the defensive unit went a long way in bringing about errors from the Bulls' defenders.

#2 Pardeep Narwal - Patna Pirates

Pardeep Narwal looked good all through the Patna leg
Pardeep Narwal looked good all through the Patna leg

The Patna Pirates skipper made a very modest start to the season with just 18 points from the first two games but was a consistent performer all through his side's home leg. With 41 points from four matches, Pardeep Narwal was one of the side's bright spots in a rather dismal campaign at home.

In the 21-34 loss to the Pink Panthers, Pardeep picked up 9 points as the next closest scorer was Neeraj with 2 tackle points. He failed to run through the Puneri Paltan's defensive unit in the next game as he picked up just 6 raid points but against the Steelers, he was a man on a mission.

With 14 raid points from 22 raids, Pardeep attempted a solo demolition of the Steelers, but in the end, his efforts went in vain as the Steelers registered a 35-26 win. However, his best show came against the U.P. Yoddha, as he ran through the defensive unit to pick up 12 points that had a massive bearing on Patna's 41-20 win in the end.

#1 Pawan Sehrawat - Bengaluru Bulls

Pawan Sehrawat was in blazing form against the Warriors
Pawan Sehrawat was in blazing form against the Warriors

As if season 6 of the Pro Kabaddi League was not enough to put Pawan Sehrawat into the spotlight, his jaw-dropping performances in the ongoing season have gone a long way in the youngster finding himself in the league of some of the best ever raiders in the history of the sport.

The Bulls faced off against the Bengal Warriors in their first clash at Patna and in the dying minutes of the first half, the Bengaluru Bulls were facing a 20-13 deficit. However, a Super Raid from Sehrawat brought with it five important points as the Bulls reduced the gap to just three points.

With none of the other raiders able to support the youngster, Sehrawat took it upon himself to pick points at will, which he did as he notched up a mammoth 29 points that led the Bulls to an exciting 43-42 win.

As the Bulls geared up to square off against the Telugu Titans, Pawan predictably ran through the brittle Titans' defensive unit like a hot knife through butter, and in the process picked up 13 raid points that outlined the Bulls' massive 47-26 win.

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Edited by Amar Anand