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Day 66 of the Pro Kabaddi League 2017 Season 5 witnessed the brilliance of Rishank Devadiga as he led the UP Yoddha to a stunning 53-32 win over the struggling Jaipur Pink Panthers in the Inter-zone wildcard contest at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Thursday. Devadiga absolutely stole the show with a performance of a lifetime, breaking the hearts of the home crowd and making a memorable night for his team.
Here are the major talking points from tonight’s game:
#1 Rishank Devadiga creates history
Rishank Devadiga of the UP Yoddha just etched his name in the record books with a thunderously spectacular performance. His incredible 28-point haul made him the raider with the highest number of raid points across all five seasons of the PKL.
This was the first time he was saddled with the responsibility of captaining his team in the absence of Nitin Tomar and what a fabulous outing it was for him!
Devadiga broke records galore like it was child’s play and all the while, made it look so effortless and easy. Out of 27 raid attempts, he scored in 19, left seven raids empty and was tackled just once!
Belligerent and devastating, Devadiga was all sorts of lethal for the opponent defenders, who huffed and puffed to keep him under control. That is evident from the fact that he scored four Super Raids on the night.
Rishank made his intentions very clear when he started off with a Super Raid. By the 11th minute of the game, he already had a Super 10. By the end of the first half, he had 15 raid points in his kitty which was the maximum raid points bagged by any PKL raider in the first half of any match.
He got to 28 in a mind-boggling fashion when he was trapped by the Jaipur defenders but managed to successfully wriggle out of the pack and touch the mid-line, causing a Super Raid. That took him past the 24 points record of Pardeep Narwal and Kashiling Adake.
#2 UP Yoddha get closer to play-offs
The 53-32 win has all but secured the play-off spot for the UP Yoddha team. Five out of the six teams have already booked their play-off berths. Only one spot is still left empty in Zone B.
The UP Yoddha are in the third place in Zone B right after the Bengal Warriors and the Patna Pirates, both of whom are already through. Thursday night’s massive win has taken the Yoddhas’ total points tally to 59 which is just eight short of the second-placed Pirates’ 67. Needless to say that they have bolstered their chances further and it is now purely a matter of time before that coveted play-off spot is theirs.
#3 Tushar Patil and Nitin Rawal’s efforts go in vain
As the inexorable Rishank Devadiga pretty much shattered the morale of the Jaipur Pink Panthers, one man looked unperturbed by his team’s struggles. Young Nitin Rawal looked fearless and tried to reduce the huge deficit with his long strides and touches. He did manage to succeed for a few minutes especially in the second half when the Yoddhas suddenly looked very quiet. He fetched his team eight points, out of which one was in defence.
Tushar Patil too gave him strong support by scoring an identical number of points. But none from the rest of the Jaipur squad was able to stand up to the challenge and that cost them dearly. Rawal and Patil finished the match as the highest scorers from their side.
#4 Jaipur defence looked toothless in the absence of Manjeet Chhillar
Without their captain and star defender Manjeet Chhillar, the Jaipur Pink Panthers looked toothless and defenceless in the face of the UP onslaught. If the former champions wanted to end a forgettable home leg on a positive note, it was not to be. With the Yoddhas looking devastating in raids, the Panthers needed the experience and intelligence of someone of the stature of Chhillar to make a dent in Devadiga’s confidence.
The PKL2 MVP’s absence was laid bare for all to see. The hosts managed only five points in tackles through youngsters such as Nitin Rawal, Sunil Siddhgavali, Manoj Dhull, and Sidharth, apart from Somvir Shekhar. The efforts were just not enough to halt the UP juggernaut.
#5 Adieu, Navneet Gautam!
Navneet Gautam had given his heart and soul to the sport of kabaddi for nearly two decades. The defender’s glittering career saw him win multiple gold medals in the Asian Games, the Asian Indoor Games and the World Cup. He led the Jaipur Pink Panthers to their only title in the first season of the Pro Kabaddi League.
The man, who dedicated himself selflessly to the sport, played his final professional kabaddi match on Thursday. It was probably not the way he would have liked to bow out. He could not contribute any point nor could his team win and he was even shown a green card. But that does not take anything away from the man, who has been one of the stalwarts of Indian kabaddi for many years now.
