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Pro Kabaddi League 2018 has truly been a source of entertainment for the fans. The league stage is about to end and none of the teams are looking in a mood to give up. All the teams have been equally good till now.
Two teams from zone A, U Mumba, and Gujarat Fortunegiants have already qualified. Whereas Dabang Delhi and Puneri Paltan are fighting it out for the last spot.
The stage for Bengaluru Bulls also looks set to qualify in Zone B. The competition for last two berths goes on between Patna Pirates, Bengal Warriors, and Telegu Titans.
Both the zones have been equally competitive. The inter-zonal challenge week scores have been 19-13 in the favor of Zone A till now.
However, this does not define the true gap between the zones. Both zones have different strengths, with zone A teams having fabulous defence while teams of zone B have some fantastic raiders. Here are the starting seven of both the zones.
(All the stats for the article have been taken from prokabaddi.com)
Zone A
Siddharth Desai (U Mumba) - Left Raider
The brilliant raider has experienced a dream start to his career, becoming one of the competitors for best raiders in just his first season. With his height, power, and fitness, he has the ability to trouble any defence.
If U Mumba has qualified for the playoffs, then he has been the key to their success. Apart from the frequent injuries, there hasn't been anything stopping him.
He had made a statement on debut when he scored 15 raid points against Puneri Paltan. He has got 185 raid points to his name, with 10 super tens and nine super raids.
He also has the record of being the fastest player to 50 raid points (four matches). His back kicks and running hand touches are always beautiful to watch and his ability to throw the opposition players in his court makes him even more dangerous.
Sachin (Gujarat Fortunegiants) - Right Raider
The emerging player of the previous season has been the star for Gujarat Fortunegiants this season as well. He has been the lone consistent raider for the team.
The 18-year-old has 140 raid points in 16 matches with four super 10s and a magnificent average of 8 raid points per match. In addition to 140 raid points, he also has 13 tackle points.
Although he does not score 15 or 20 raid points in every match, he quietly completes his work to help his team cross the line.
Fazel Atracheli (U Mumba) - Defender Left Corner
Atracheli was the first player in Pro Kabaddi League history to cross one crore in the auctions.
He has completely justified this price by being the top competitor for the best defender of the season. Not only as a defender, but he has proved himself as a captain as well, helping his team to qualify for the playoffs.
He has scored 71 tackle points in 19 matches, with five high 5s to his name, along with a magnificent average of four tackle points per match.
He is undoubtedly the best defender in PKL. From season 2 onwards, he has been a consistent performer. He has even lifted the trophy two times.
When he is standing on the left corner, scoring points for raiders becomes very difficult.
Ravinder Pahal (Dabang Delhi) - Defender Right Corner
The revival of Ravinder Pahal in season 6 after disappointing performances in the past 2 seasons has been relieving to watch. He along with Joginder Narwal has formed another perfect corner combination.
The 28-year-old has 51 tackle points in 19 matches with 4 high 5s and 3 super tackles to his name. He is sixth on the top defenders' list and is one of the only seven to complete 50 tackle points in this season.
He has even guided the team in the absence of their regular skipper Joginder Narwal.
Deepak Niwas Hooda (Jaipur Pink Panthers) - All Rounder: Defender Left Cover, Left Raider
Who can be unluckier than Deepak? He has been the lone fighter for his team in this season. Forget about any support in raiding, his team has not been able to perform in any of the departments.
He has scored 132 points in 14 matches, which includes 123 raid points and 9 tackle points. He also played as a left cover defender in the absence of a regular one.
The tally also includes six super tens, one high five and more importantly an average of 9.5 points per match.
His alone performances were not able to help Jaipur qualify, but he won the hearts of everyone.
Sunil Kumar (Gujarat Fortunegiants) - Defender Right Cover
Sunil Kumar has been a consistent performer for Gujarat Fortunegiants since the last 2 seasons. He was the second best defender for the team in the last season. He and Parvesh Bhainswal have been the backbone of the team's defence in this season as well.
The right cover defender has 55 points in 18 matches. He is the fifth best defender in the season so far. His tally includes two high 5s as well.
He has been good in the role of captain as well. He has managed his raiders well. Due to his able leadership, Gujarat Fortunegiants became the first team to qualify for the playoffs.
He also led the team to five victories in their home leg, the best record by a team so far.
Parvesh Bhainswal (Gujarat Fortunegiants) - Defender Left Cover
Another strong aspect of Gujarat Fortunegiants, the left cover defender Parvesh Bhainswal has also impressed throughout the whole season.
Having scored 67 tackle points in 18 matches with 5 high 5s at a fabulous average of 3.5 tackle points per match, he is the third best defender this season. He has made his presence felt in each and every match.
If Gujarat has qualified for the playoffs then he and Sunil Kumar have been the key players for them.
Zone B
Pardeep Narwal (Patna Pirates) - Left Raider
Whenever the question comes for the selection of raiders, this man has to be the first choice. Since season 3, he has been the most consistent player for Patna Pirates.
This has helped the team to win PKL title three consecutive times.
He has been the best raider of this season as well. He has scored 185 raid points in 16 matches.
His tally includes 12 Super 10s and a fantastic average of 11.56. He hasn't got any support from his team, still, he has alone put the team on the verge of qualifying for the playoffs.
Not only in this season, but he also remains the best raider of PKL history. He has scored 810 raid points, 39 more than his biggest competitor Rahul Chaudhari and that too in 13 fewer matches.
His signature move Dubki is always magnificent to watch. His speedy hand touches are another attractions.
The solution for this 21-year-old still remains to be found out.
Pawan Kumar Sehrawat (Bengaluru Bulls) - Right Raider
After disappointing performances in the past three seasons, Pawan Sehrawat finally gave his team some reasons to smile. He was another relieving find of this season, and especially for Bengaluru Bulls who had shown trust on him, but he had not delivered.
In 17 matches he has played, Pawan has 177 raid points as well as 10 tackle points. He has eight super tens and 10 super raids to his name at a magnificent average of 10.41.
He is on the third spot on the list of top raiders. He, along with Rohit Kumar has constantly brought raid points for the team.
Ajay Thakur (Tamil Thalaivas) - Right Raider
The captain of the Indian team and Tamil Thalaivas has been a consistent performer for the team. His height, flexibility, and excellent fitness are what make him a perfect player.
He has 171 raid points in 18 matches. His tally includes six super tens and an average of almost 10. He has been the lone scoring raider for the team.
Although he had got some support from Athul MS in the first few matches, that too stopped later and he had to do everything on his own.
Although his team is out of the race of playoffs, he has impressed everyone throughout the season.
Vishal Bharadwaj (Defender- Left Corner)
The 21-year-old left corner defender Vishal Bharadwaj has been the backbone of Telegu Titans defense along with Abozar Mighani. He has excellent power and skills, best of them being his thigh and ankle hold.
He has 47 tackle points in 12 matches at a fine average of 3.91. He also has 5 high 5s to his name. He stands 10th on the list of top defenders, but he has played seven to eight matches less than defenders above him.
One of his finest performances came against Pardeep Narwal's Patna Pirates when he scored six tackle points against one of the world's best raider and raiding team.
Nitesh Kumar (UP Yodhas) - Defender- Right Corner
Nitesh has been a consistent performer for UP Yodhas since the last two seasons. His team is out of playoffs race, but he has won the hearts of everyone.
The 21-year-old right corner defender has 63 tackle points in 17 matches at an average of 3.29. He also has three high 5s to his name. He stands third on the list of best defenders, just 5 points behind Parvesh Bhainswal.
He had also won the orange sleeve (award given to best defender) during UP Yodhas' home leg but eventually lost it to Fazel Atracheli. In a zone that is dominated by raiders, he has performed really well.
Manjeet Chillar (Tamil Thalaivas) - All-rounder: Defender- Left Cover, Right Raider
The veteran right cover defender had disappointing last two seasons, but he proved his worth this time. In short terms, the old scary Manjeet was revived in this season.
Manjeet has 58 tackle points and eight raid points to his name in 18 matches. He also has five super tackles and two high 5s in his tally. He stands fourth in the list of top defenders.
Although his team is out of the playoffs' race, his personal performances will provide him with a lot of confidence in the next season.
Vijay (Patna Pirates) All Rounder, Left raider Defender- Right Cover
Vijay has been the unsung hero for Patna Pirates since the last two seasons. In a team that is dominated by Pardeep Narwal, the 21-year-old all-rounder has made his presence felt.
He has performed when the team has been out of options and has required someone to score points. In the 16 matches he has played in the season, he has 52 points, including 41 raid points and 11 tackle points.
He was retained by the team for this season. And he justified this retention by bringing points when Pardeep was out of form, one instance for the same being his eight points against Telegu Titans when Pardeep could score just five while getting out six times.
