Pro Kabaddi League 2017 Season 5: Five talking points from the final

Patna Pirates clinched the PKL Season 5 trophy
Patna Pirates clinched the PKL Season 5 trophy

The fifth season of the Pro Kabaddi League came to a close with the Patna Pirates creating history, becoming the first team to clinch a hat-trick of titles on the back of a massive 55-38 win over the debutants, Gujarat Fortunegiants.

Pardeep Narwal yet again was the wrecker-in-chief with 19 points while Monu continued to play second fiddle, picking up nine points. After a disappointing first half, the Patna defence sprang into action with Jaideep accumulating a High-5 to his name.

For the Fortunegiants, the defence department faltered after a good start while Chandran Ranjit's entry in the second half proved too late as the game was already in Patna's bag.

Here are five talking points from the final.

#5 Monu Goyat, the man for any crisis

Monu Goyat brought all his experience into play to take Patna to safety
Monu Goyat brought all his experience into play to take Patna to safety

At the start of the game, Patna were dealt a huge blow with skipper Pardeep Narwal struggling to find form, something that needed to be addressed immediately. Enter Mr Dependable, Monu Goyat.

Having played second fiddle right through the season, Monu took up the responsibility of getting Patna back in the game. He did fabulously to put in a two-point raid at a crucial stage that wiped out both corners to get Patna back in the game.

Monu picked up nine points from the important encounter, but more importantly, was the man responsible for igniting the lost spark in the Patna charge,

#4 Sachin Tanwar, the one-man army

Sachin was the only lone spark from both halves
Sachin Tanwar in action

A lot was expected of lanky raider Sachin Tanwar, who led the charts for the Fortunegiants in terms of raiding points. He did manage to pick up a super-10 but he was the only raider who stood up to mark which proved costly for Gujarat.

Sukesh Hegde did indeed start, but his inability to pick up points saw Mahendra Rajput being subbed in place of him for the second half, but by then, it was too late. While Sachin was the only raider picking up points, the baffling move to use only him and not Rakesh Narwal in the first half played spoilsport to Gujarat's plans.

Late in the second half, Chandran Ranjit was given a go but in the end, all of it proved to be futile as Patna had already gathered a huge lead.

#3 Battle of the defence

The Patna raiders proved too hot to handle for the Gujarat defenders
The Patna raiders proved too slippery to handle for the Gujarat defenders

Boasting Abozar and Fazel on two corners, the Fortunegiants came into the match with the tag of the 'best defence unit', but were blown away by the duo of Monu and Pardeep Narwal. On the other hand, the Patna defence came to life in the second half to halt the Gujarat charge.

Inflicting an all-out on Patna within the first five minutes, the Gujarat defence stamped its authority early in the game but some mature raiding from Monu Goyat took the momentum away from them.

Patna were benefitted by left-corner Jaideep's form as he picked up a high-5 and also played a vital supporting role to the other defenders, making the Gujarat raiders work hard for their points.

#2 Patna's terrific comeback after an early jolt

The Patna defence came good after a false start
The Patna defence came together after a poor start

Coming into the match, a lot was expected of Patna skipper Pardeep Narwal, who was in rampaging form. However, against Gujarat, he had managed only nine points from two previous games.

With the skipper struggling to find his feet initially and Patna trailing, young Vijay scored back to back points before Monu Goyat's two-point raid gave Patna a boost and more importantly saw Pardeep put in a super raid that wiped out the whole defence, levelling the scores at 16-16.

Following that raid, the confidence returned to the Patna squad, Monu and Pardeep going about their task with precision to take an important three-point lead going into the second half.

#1 The show-stopper, Pardeep Narwal

The super raid from Pardeep Narwal that got Patna back in the game
Pardeep Narwal's super raid that got Patna back in the game

There's not much left to say when it comes to Pardeep Narwal, who has shattered records with each game, making raiding look like child's play. Even on the biggest stage, in this encounter, the Patna skipper rose to the challenge and led his side to victory with 19 points.

After two unsuccessful raids, Pardeep came back with a super raid that wiped out the entire Gujarat defence, laying the foundation for the rest of the men to build on. However, his real talent came to the fore when he picked up three points despite going in as the lone man on the mat for Patna, completely shifting the tide in the champions' favour.

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Edited by Arvind Sriram