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The Jaipur leg in the fifth edition of the Pro Kabaddi League concluded last Thursday with most teams cementing their place in the Super Playoffs or being relegated out of contention for the same.
The home leg was not a successful one for the Jaipur Pink Panthers themselves for they slumped to defeat in five matches out of the total six. While many matches witnessed a raid fest of sorts, there were quite a few instances wherein the defence also came to the fore.
Here are the five best defenders from the past week:
#5: Fazel Atrachali (Gujarat Fortunegiants)
The Iranian import is staying true to his repute of finishing as the Best Defender in the previous season with 55 tackle points from 21 matches so far. He picked up 3 points in the match against the hosts, Jaipur and followed it up with a stellar outing of a High-5 against the Patna Pirates. With wrestling skills by his side, the defender executes solo blocks and grapples the approaching raiders away from the mid-line, thus rendering them hapless.
#4: Surjeet (Bengal Warriors)
The skipper of the Bengal Warriors leads his troops by example on the kabaddi mat. Playing in the cover position, he has a menacing presence and initiates body blocks when the raiders go deep into one corner or throws in a surprise dash across the mat due to which the players lose their balance and find themselves outside the court. He amassed a High-5 in a low scoring match against the Puneri Paltan in which both teams played on the third raid strategy, making it a defensive battle.
#3: Ravinder Pahal (Bengaluru Bulls)
In the match against Dabang Delhi, the Bengaluru Bulls picked up just seven tackle points, five of which came from the right corner defender, Ravinder Pahal. He was particularly successful against the rival captain, Meraj Sheykh who tried executing high kicks against the 'Hawk' but was pinned down time and again. However, the classic tackle came in when Pahal inflicted a thigh hold on R Sriram, thus stopping the young gun in his tracks, who was particularly having a good outing until that moment.
#2: Srikant Tewthia (Bengal Warriors)
He had off-colour outing for most matches in this fifth edition but in the clash against the Puneri Paltan, Srikant Tewthia truly came to the party in a clash that turned out to be a defensive battle of sorts. He successfully managed to keep the rival skipper, Deepak Hooda out of the equation with quite a few tackles inflicted on the elite raider. With his initial ankle holds and dashes across the mat, he amassed a total of 6 tackle points from that fixture.
#1: Surender Nada (Haryana Steelers)
The skipper of the Haryana team plays in the left corner position and has a menacing presence on the mat, particularly with regards to his ankle holds which catch most raiders unawares. A similar case unfolded when the Steelers clashed against the Telugu Titans and Surender Nada notched up a stellar eight tackle points to his credit, thus giving his team an edge over the rivals. With that outing, Surender Nada is also perched atop the tally for most tackle points in the season with 75 points against his name.
