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The sixth edition of the celebrated Pro Kabaddi commenced on the 7th of October, 2018. This three-month long league is halfway through; the matches have now started to intensify.
It was awarded the title of the biggest league in India as the fifth edition saw the inclusion of four more teams, giving it a total of twelve. Talking of the format, the twelve teams are divided into two zones -- A and B.
The six teams coming from Zone A are U Mumba, Puneri Paltan, Dabang Delhi K.C., Haryana Steelers, Jaipur Pink Panthers and Gujarat Fortune Giants. Similarly, the teams from Zone B are Patna Pirates, Bengal Warriors, Telegu Titans, Bengaluru Bulls, Tamil Thalaivas and UP Yoddhas.
Since we are so close to the playoffs, here is a list of the three teams from zone A which can qualify for the playoffs of the sixth season of PKL:
#3 Dabang Delhi K.C.
What a wonderful season it is for Dabang Delhi! Never in the past five editions had the team qualified for the playoffs.
Having some experienced players like Meraj Sheykh, Rajesh Narwal, Joginder Narwal and Ravinder Pahal on the squad was a great advantage. We were lucky to witness some amazing raids and tackles from these renowned players.
How can we not talk about the sterling youngster Naveen Kumar? Multiple points raids and super ten in the first half of the match itself are literally a norm for him. He has been grabbing the headlines ever since he stepped on the mat for the first time.
Chandran Ranjit, the golden find of Season 5, has also rocked the mat with his intricate raiding skills. You need a point, you will get one, guaranteed!
Delhi are currently playing their home leg and have won two out of the three matches so far, that too, defeating teams like Jaipur Pink Panthers and Puneri Paltan. If they qualify for the playoffs, it would just be the perfect Christmas gift for their fans!
#2 Gujarat Fortune Giants
The Giants are in for it again! There is no doubt left in the fact that Manpreet Singh is a wonderful coach.
He led Patna Pirates to victory in Season 3 and gave a repeat performance when the debutants Gujarat Fortune Giants played the final under his mentorship.
Out of 16 matches so far, they have won 11 of them. The Giants have also won 4 out of 6 matches in their home leg.
Enough of the stats, but we can't stop talking about their impeccable players. How good is Sachin Tanwar, that 19-year old ball of fire? His raids are a feast to the eyes of the fans.
When talking about the players of Gujarat, we can't leave out Sunil Kumar and Parvesh Bhainswal. They are just perfect! It's like getting the new pair of 'Jai-Veeru' of kabaddi.
And Mahendra Ganesh Rajput is such a beauty! Do you remember that 7-pointer? How unbelievable was that! The stadium went crazy that night.
The team is literally full of gem -- K. Prapanjan, Ajay Kumar, Ruturaj Koravi, Rohit Gulia, Sachin Vittala, even our famous South Korean Dong Geon Lee. You name them and you will find them. Hats off to Manpreet Singh for raising an incredible team out of passionate youngsters!
#1 U Mumba
One word. Matchless. I mean, you have the best defender Fazel Atrachali, you have the best raider, Siddharth Desai. What else do you need? U Mumba have always been that one team who has shown first-class performances since the beginning of the league.
Yes, there were some let downs when the Mumba squad did not qualify for the playoffs in Seasons 4 and 5. But folks, no performance is permanent. We have got the original U Mumba back, this time with a huge change.
It was always about experience in the team, but the owner Ronnie Screwvala played his cards well and bought a bunch of promising youngsters, and the results are right in front of us.
Siddharth Desai might also be a wizard, as his game is wickedly excellent. There is no praise in the dictionary left for him. You made a debut this season, surpassed Pardeep Narwal and claimed the top raider's spot and threw out Super Raids and Super Tens every now and then. Isn't that prodigious? Well Siddharth, you are a marvel!
Fazel Atrachali can be called Fazel Atyachari (Yes, the one who makes the raiders suffer high time). He has been the only player to be a part of every final since Season 2. He is more of a lucky charm for Mumbai's franchise.
No matter how many times you say this, it won't stop being true that his tackles look like a child's play. Fazel could be seen flaunting his orange band every time he slays the raiders with his outstanding game. He is just so good!
Not mentioning Vinod Kumar, Surinder Singh Abhishek Singh, Rohit Rana, D. Cheralathan and Rohit Baliyan would just be wrong. You can't be on top of your game unless you have that team spirit going on. Fans just can't be more exhilarated about U Mumba qualifying for the playoffs, or even the final!
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