'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQb/2gAIAQEAAAAAmVf/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAC/9oACAECEAAAAF//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAE/9oACAEDEAAAAHf/xAAhEAACAAYBBQAAAAAAAAAAAAACAwABBAUGETEHEhUik//aAAgBAQABPwCjxDHht7Lf4pTaunM3m5pz9hFgq7d887nB9E7MBkM2u+px/8QAFhEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgAD/9oACAECAQE/ABmb/8QAFhEAAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEC/9oACAEDAQE/AHR//9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Pune leg of the Pro Kabaddi League came to a close as the hosts fell to a 23-29 loss at the hands of UP Yoddha to finish with a mixed bag of results, three wins and an equal number of losses at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune.
The Paltan did not have the greatest starts to their home campaign as they were felled by the Fortunegiants, who beat the hosts 34-28. However, the pressure was shoved away as the Paltan combined well to collect three wins in a row, albeit each in a thrilling fashion to give the home crowd a lot to cherish.
While Nitin Tomar's dominating run in the league's initial stages came to a halt in the home leg as the raider could pick just 44 points from six matches, Sandeep Narwal's absence from even the list of substitutes raised a few eyebrows as the aggressive left corner's presence was sorely missed. In the Paltan's final home game, skipper Girish Ernak missed out as well, which left a big dent on the home team's surge for a win as they fell to UP Yoddha.
Click here to check the latest Pro Kabaddi Standings
In the three wins and three losses, there were some gains and some losses for the Paltan, which has been noted down in this article. Here are the five hits and misses from Pune's home leg.
#5 Miss - Sandeep Narwal's continued absence
One of the most aggressive defenders in the league, Sandeep Narwal's unflinching dashes and tackles went missing all through the home leg as the veteran all-rounder was 'rested' after playing only the first two home games.
Failing to pick a point against Gujarat in the first home game, Narwal's luck improved a little as he picked three in the next game against the Jaipur Pink Panthers but he was rested for the remainder of the home leg, with young Shubham Shinde getting a chance to cement his place in the side.
#4 Hit - Monu displays his all-round might
Young Monu was retained ahead of the season by the Puneri Paltan and the faith in the young all-rounder was paid back as he managed to chip away with the points, albeit with little consistency.
Absent from the mat in Pune's first home game against Gujarat, Monu was back as he started against the Panthers and led the charge with seven points including five raid points and two tackle points.
Against U Mumba, Monu was not in the greatest of form and was kept quiet by U Mumba's defense unit as he amassed just three raid points. Against the Bengaluru Bulls, Monu's play was enveloped by maturity as he managed to stay on the court for a majority of the time and also picked two points in both departments.
A relatively poor three-point show was masked by a 7-point effort against the Yoddha, which saw him finish as the top-scorer for the Paltan.
#3 Miss - Lack of consistency
Pune's campaign in the home leg was marked by a certain level of inconsistency as none of the players, raiders or defenders, could carry their form into the successive match.
Against Gujarat, Tomar and Girish picked 6 points and 13 points respectively but failed to pick up from where they left off as they finished with just two points each against the Panthers.
In the next game against U Mumba, Tomar and Girish Ernak yet again led the way with 13 points and 5 points respectively but their strong show went missing against the Bulls. In the loss to the Thalaivas, More GB top-scored with ten points and was awarded a start against UP where the all-rounder failed to notch up a single point - highlighting the lack of consistency in the team.
#2 Miss - Shortfall of bench strength
Ahead of the auctions, Pune did very well to retain the core of their team and also added the might of Nitin Tomar to their side for a massive sum of money. However, these additions have not worked much in Pune's favor as the players who joined the core of the team have not fired consistently.
In the absence of Sandeep Narwal, Shubham Shinde was drafted in and he has picked just 7 tackle points from four games. Rajesh Mondal, retained by the team has failed to even find a spot in the starting seven. Deepak Dahiya's flying hand touches have gone astray while More GB and Akshay Jadhav have looked patchy.
Overall, Pune's campaign has been decorated with a string of performances by Nitin Tomar, Girish Ernak and Ravi Kumar - the only three places to have started in all of Pune's 10 games so far.
#1 Hit - Ravi Kumar's steely show in the defense unit
Ravi Kumar's services, after a positive run in the fifth season, was procured back for a sum of ₹16 lakh and the cover defender has looked the best of the defensive lot as his consistency has ensured that the Paltan remain in the hunt for a win in all their games so far.
Although Ravi Kumar has just one 'High-5' to his credit from ten matches, he has managed to pick a total of 23 tackle points from all the games combined, only six points lesser than skipper Girish Ernak.
In the Pune leg, Ravi Kumar's point-less outing was shadowed by the six points he picked against the Panthers after which the defender went about his task with precision with 12 points and was a constant performer in the home leg that lacked any amount of consistency from his other teammates.
