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Kabaddi is a sport that involves a lot of strength and quick thinking skills, in addition to the most important of them all, speed and agility. Especially in the case of a raider, more emphasis is shed on his ability to escape from the defense and his athleticism.
With the PKL having spread its wings far into the fifth season, the league has unearthed some special raiding talents, youngsters who have managed to make the best of defenders look foolish with their crafty raiding methods while the defenders have put in quick, strong dashes to throw raiders off the court.
Some of these players have managed to shine in their respective owing to their pace on the mat. Here are five such men who belong to the unique bracket of the fastest players on the mat in the competition.
#5 Surinder Singh
One of the key traits that defines a good defender is his ability to judge the situation and pick the right time to put in the dives and holds. One man who has managed to steal hearts is U Mumba's right corner Surinder Singh, who has fearlessly managed to bring down the best of raiders.
Agile and always on his toes, Surinder has played his role to perfection and has been one of the main contributors to U Mumba's campaign. From 11 matches, the right corner has picked 31 points and has been a consistent figure in the starting seven of the team ahead of the likes of Hadi Oshtarak.
Although he primarily plays on the right cover position in other tournaments, Surinder has exuberated confidence to pin down raiders at will with his quick thinking and fast, strong dashes and blocks.
#4 Vikas Kandola
Arguably one of the biggest success stories of Haryana's good run this season, Vikas Kandola's raiding prowess this season has ensured that the burden does not fall on the shoulders of skipper Nada to score a bulk of the points.
From the seven matches this season, Vikas has amassed 44 points to his name and has often camouflaged the flaws of Wazir Singh. What has been heartening to see is his hunger for picking up points that has been decorated with super fast hand touches and retreats.
Travelling the court very quickly, he has managed to catch the best of defenders off guard and has been extremely successful in the do-or-die raids and has led the Steelers raiding department well.
#3 Mohsen Maghsoudlou
A flashy raider who relies on pace and quick movement on the mat, the Iranian has been a vital part of the Titans campaign this season. Following a successful Kabaddi World Cup, Mohsen was picked by the Titans for a good amount of money but did not find a place in the starting seven initially until the previous match against the Thalaivas.
However, he has done well to collect points consistently when he has been subbed in at certain junctions during various games. Mohsen relies on quick hand touches to fetch him points while his toe touch is also a vital part of his skill set.
From the six matches he has played, the talented raider has picked 10 points this season.
#2 Meraj Sheykh
The Iranian all-rounder has been the lone bright spark in an otherwise faltering campaign for the Dabang Delhi. Meraj has utilized himself primarily as a raider rather than a defender and has picked points easily, leading the raid department alongside countryman Abolfazl Maghsoudlou.
From eight matches, the Delhi skipper has picked a total of 48 points, 46 of them through raids and has managed to unsettle the opposition defenders with his quick feet movement. The scorpion kick has been a very useful weapon for the Iranian and he has used it to good effect right through the season.
Moving from one side to the other, Meraj's technique of keeping his arms extended has yielded copious points to his name and Delhi will hope for an inspiring performance from their skipper in the upcoming matches that could see a revival in their fortunes.
#1 Sachin Tanwar
The extremely talented raider has already stamped his authority even before the tournament heads into the mid-stage, with 64 raid points from just 10 matches. Having never played in the PKL ahead of this season, Sachin was expected to play second fiddle to skipper Sukesh Hegde.
However, the youngster has been entrusted with a majority of the raiding duties and he has repaid the team's faith in him with an average of 6.4 points per game. Lightning quick when it comes to the turns and picking up bonus points, he has caused enough nightmares for the opposition defenders with his agile hand and foot movements.
The Fortunegiants raider is placed seventh on the list of top raid points with 57 from 10 matches and if form was anything to go by, one can expect him to slowly climb up the ladder in the upcoming games.
