Pro Kabaddi League 2017 Season 5: Top 5 players to watch out for in the Super-Playoffs

The league stage of the fifth edition of Pro Kabaddi came to a close on Friday with the completion of 132 matches across 12 teams which were divided into two zones. Post a good two and a half months of exciting, edge-of-the-seat humdingers in the form of some stellar matches, six teams made the cut to the all-important playoffs which are scheduled to begin on Monday.

By virtue of finishing on top of the points tally in their respective zones, the Gujarat Fortunegiants and Bengal Warriors will have two shots at sealing their place in the finals while the rest of the four teams in the likes of Puneri Paltan, Haryana Steelers, UP Yoddha and Patna Pirates will have to tread past each fixture akin to a knockout.

In this light, Sportskeeda looks at the 5 players that one should keep a close eye in the upcoming fixtures:

#5 Surender Nada (Haryana Steelers)

The captain from the hot-bed of kabaddi, Surender Nada will have a menacing presence in the left corner position for the Haryana Steelers given his expertise with the lethal tackles that are inflicted to perfection.

Watch out for his ever so strong ankle holds that can pin down the best of the raiders and his blocks in tandem with partner-in-crime, Mohit Chhillar. He will look to add more tackles to his tally 79 points which have him perched atop the leaderboard.

#4 Fazel Atrachali (Gujarat Fortunegiants)

Fazel Atrachali

Fazel Atrachali is a beast when it comes to inflicting tackles which exude not just his might but also his wrestling skills which take most raiders by surprise due to sheer force.

Fazel has the knack of putting his best foot forward when it matter most as was evident during his stint with the Patna Pirates and U Mumba prior to that when the teams went on to claim the title. Thus, he will surely leave no stone unturned in what is his chance of adding a third PKL crown to his list of achievements.

#3 Rishank Devadiga (UP Yoddha)

Rishank Devadiga

In the Jaipur leg, one saw the tall raider unleash his raiding prowess to the best possible effect when he came out all guns blazing against the homes side to amass a massive amount 28 points to his credit. Thus, he has the ability to rip apart the rival defence with his attacking strides given his extended reach due to the tall frame and the swiftness with which he goes about his business.

He will be looking to spearhead the attack alongside his captain Nitin Tomar to put his team in advantage in the upcoming fixtures.

#2 Maninder Singh (Bengal Warriors)

Maninder Singh

If the Warriors are to succeed in the final hurdles, Maninder Singh will have to continue to play a vital role in the capacity of the lead raider of the side. Making his comeback in the fifth edition post winning the title in the first edition with the Jaipur Pink Panthers, Maninder has played to his reputation of being a stellar raider who can steal the show on his night.

He has the knack of thriving under pressure and also amassing points in heaps which will be the key aspects to watch out for during the Super-Playoffs.

#1 Pardeep Narwal (Patna Pirates)

Pardeep Narwal

Well, the man has literally lit the kabaddi mat on fire with his stellar performances throughout the season. Such has been his form in this edition, that if the Patna Pirates are playing a match and he is rendered out of the equation there is an atmosphere of lull and disappointment that spreads across the audience.

Having already amassed 274 raid points, Pardeep Narwal is perched atop the leaderboard for most number of points and be rest assured that he will add on to the tally.