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There is no doubt in the fact that people are going gaga over the sixth edition of the Pro Kabaddi League, which commenced on the 7th of October. We are halfway through it and the excitement is at its peak, but fans still can't get enough. After all, how unpredictable can it get?! It's arduous to foretell the finalists even now! Nonetheless, fans do have some hot favourites.
From Zone A, it has to be U Mumba. They are now head-to-head with Puneri Paltan when we talk about winning their home matches. And how can't we talk about our very own superstar debutant Siddharth Desai?
From Zone B, we have Bengaluru Bulls, Telegu Titans, and the defending champions Patna Pirates as the top three teams. With just one and a half months left in the league, let's look back to the three greatest teams ever in the history of PKL:
#3 Jaipur Pink Panthers
Line drawn, game on, Khel Kabaddi!!! Yes, these were the words just before the final match of season 1, between U Mumba and Jaipur Pink Panthers. This was going to be that heated battle which every fan was dying to witness.
No doubt August 31st was a grand day for the whole of Rajasthan as Jaipur's franchise successfully concluded the first season of PKL with a win.
History was made as tears of joy flashed from every Panthers' fan's eyes that day. Junior Bachchan was also hyperexcited being the owner of the inaugural PKL champions. Till date, he never leaves an opportunity to motivate his team and could be seen mouthing the scores or instructions while watching it live. Such support, coming from the owner itself is rare.
Till date, Jaipur has won a total of 41 matches out of 91. They also played the season 4 finals against Patna Pirates. Also, outstanding players like Maninder Singh, Jasvir Singh, Rajesh Narwal and Manjeet Chillar have been a part of the Jaipur Pink Panthers franchise in the past.
#2 U Mumba
The spine-chilling chants of U Mumba! U Mumba! filled the stadium on when the team was crowned as the PKL season 2 champion after defeating Bengaluru Bulls. A supremely self-assured Mumbai side went on to win 14 of the 16 matches they played that season.
U Mumba had a plethora of world-class defenders. Surender Nada, Mohit Chillar, Jeeva Kumar, Fazel Atrachali, you name them and Mumbai had them. Just the sight of these wonderful tacklers sent chills down the spines of oppositions. The defence was one of the substantial reasons why U Mumba won the second season.
A perfect blend of raiders and defenders ensured their victory. With the likes of toe touch king Anup Kumar, Rishank Devadiga, Shabeer Bapu and many more, their raiding was top notch. Captain Anup was also awarded the best raider of the league with 155 points in just 16 matches. A wonderful figure indeed. The finale took place in Mumbai itself on the 23rd of August.
#1 Patna Pirates
They won it once, twice, actually, three whole times!!! Over the five seasons that have taken place so far, the Pro Kabaddi League has been utterly dominated by one franchise - Patna Pirates. Pirates have already got their names engraved in the golden history of PKL by winning it thrice.
Season 3 was a massive success for the team with players like Pardeep Narwal, Rohit Kumar and Rajesh Mondal. They won the heated match against U Mumba with just three points. Phew! Every kabaddi fan had their hearts in their mouths!
The fourth edition of PKL for Patna was also as amazing as the last one. Retaining Pardeep and Rajesh was extremely clever. Out of all the seasons, their squad for PKL 4 was the most star-studded.
They had Fazel Atrachali, Dharmaraj Cheralathan, Surjeet Narwal, Hadi Ostorak and Kuldeep Singh on the team. Pirates played the finals against Jaipur Pink Panthers and won their second title with glory.
Season 5 was the most triumphant season for the franchise. With both Pardeep and Monu scoring more than 200 points, they rocked the mat. Pardeep Narwal scored an unbelievable total of 369 points in just a single season! He also broke numerous records with ease.
Patna Pirates beat Gujarat Fortune Giants by 55-38 in the final with the MOT Pardeep Narwal stealing the show with 19 raid points against a hapless Fortune Giant defence for the first time in the tournament.
