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The fifth edition of the Pro Kabaddi extravaganza is going by very quickly and has already completed a month out of the entire schedule of three months. We are midway through the fifth leg in the league, which is being held in Mumbai and have already witnessed more than fifty matches taking place so far.
This season in totality has seen an increased number of down-to-the-wire games which have added to the excitement and frenzy.
Some teams have battled major injury issues while some have had to ride past dismal home leg performances. Taking into account all of this, we look at five teams that can go on to win the title after their performance in the first month.
#5 Haryana Steelers
A new entrant in the Kabaddi fold, the Haryana Steelers are the team from the hotbed of Kabaddi in India and are one of the major challengers for the trophy given their performance in the initial matches.
The team's skipper Surender Nada has amassed the most number of tackle points so far, 33 to be precise which include five High-5 outings. Moreover, in combination with his partner, the right-corner defender, Mohit Chhillar, the pair is extremely lethal for any raider for they are well-versed with each other's style of play, timing and moves.
The bright spark for the team has been young raider Vikas Kandola, who has been spearheading the attack of the side and announced himself on the scene with his exceptional raiding skills. He is supported the likes of Surjeet Singh and Deepak Dahiya who have the ability to go rampant on the mat on their day.
Moreover, with the other two defenders, Rakesh Kumar Singh and Neeraj Kumar also making their presence felt with key tackles, Haryana definitely looks like a team that can go and win the league under the aegis of experienced coaches such as Ranbir Singh Khokhar and Srinivas Reddy.
#4 Puneri Paltan
Before the start of the fifth edition, the Puneri Paltan were adjudged as the strongest team on paper by many sectors whether it was the media or the Kabaddi experts themselves.
And well, they have rightly proved so as well, for the team boasts of truckloads of experienced players in the likes of skipper Deepak Hooda, veteran Dharmaraj Cheralathan, all-rounder Sandeep Nrwal, do-or-die expert Rajesh Mondal and corner defender Girish Ernak being some of the few.
All of these players have combined as a cohesive unit in their seven matches so far to take the battle across to the mat and have contributed in their own small measure to the scoreline to power the team across to the finish line.
An advantage that lies with the team, is that their bench strength featuring the likes of Ziaur Rehman, Rohit Choudhary, Monu, Umesh Mhatre, Ravi Kumar, etc are still in the pipeline of sorts and will come into play if the team suffers any injury issues.
#3 Patna Pirates
The defending champions look well poised to claim the hat-trick of titles given the supremacy that they have established with their style of play on the mat.
The team relies heavily on their skipper, Pardeep Narwal to come good and well, he has been on point. The five-star raider has the most number of raid points to his name, 83 to be precise which includes four Super-10 outings. Alongside him in attack, Monu Goyat has also been performing well while Vinod Kumar has handled the do-or-die situations.
The defence of the side is one that exudes brute strength with the likes of Vishal Mane, Sachin Shingade, Jaideep and Satish who have all put forth a formidable show in the defence in tandem with one-another thus staying true to the Aristotle adage that, "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts."
#2 Jaipur Pink Panthers
The champions from the inaugural season have put forth some exceptional performances on the mat. What makes them strong contenders for the title is the fact that the team has suffered some major injury blows in the initial matches itself but has yet managed to put up a strong show with the bench strength coming good for them.
In the absence of star players, Selvamani (out since the injury midway through the first match) and skipper, Manjeet Chhillar (missed the last couple of fixtures), the young guns in the team have put forth an impressive show much to the respite of the management and coaching staff.
Every match has given the team a new star! A plethora of all-rounders in the likes of Sunil, Nitin Rawal, Siddharth and Santhapanaselvam has powered the team across the finish line in their own measure with a combined effort.
Other than this, partially experienced recruits like Pawan and Somvir have also showcased their mettle alongside the mercurial Jasvir Singh.
Thus, a team which can perform well despite a depleted force, will surely be a major force to reckon with once the elite players take to the mat again, and they might just paint the town pink then?
#1 Gujarat Fortunegiants
The new entrants into the Kabaddi fold sit comfortably perched atop the points tally in Zone A, given their stellar unbeaten run in the last seven matches. The stronghold of the side has been the Iranian corner defensive duo of Fazel Atrachali and Abozar Mighani, who have amassed 56 points amongst them and are among the top five defenders in the league as per the current day statistics.
For the attack, the Gujarat team has been blessed with young guns in the likes of Rohit Gulia and particularly Sachin, who have come good for the side and rendered most rival defences' hapless rallying behind their skipper Sukesh Hegde.
Credit also needs to be attributed to the Indian cover defenders, Parvesh Bhainswal and Sunil who have established their presence on the mat when it comes to showcasing coordination and executing combination tackles.
Moreover, the team has invested a huge amount in their support staff with a foreign physiotherapist as well, and the result has been positive in terms of the fact that not a single player has suffered any kind of major injury. Thus, Gujarat looks like a team that can lay their hands on the trophy if they can sustain the same kind of momentum.
