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The Bengaluru Bulls emerged as the champions of the Pro Kabaddi League 2018 with a thrilling 38-33 win over the Gujarat Fortune Giants. While the focus was on Bengaluru's ability to rise above the pressure, the spotlight fell on Pawan Sehrawat, who picked up a whopping 22 raid points to single-handedly pile misery on the Fortune Giants.
Sehrawat, who was already assured of the 'Green Sleeve' ahead of the first qualifier was in scintillating form all through the season as he notched up 13 Super-10s from 24 matches and in the process also picked up 271 raids points from the season.
While Sehrawat breezed through numerous oppositions with his myriad set of skills, other notable moments involved raiders making merry on many an occasion as the defenders were kept on their toes right throughout the season.
Here, we look at five raiders who made a massive impact all through the season.
#5 Maninder Singh - Bengal Warriors
The burly Bengal Warriors raider was in good form this season as he notched up 206 raid points from 22 matches, including nine 'Super-10s', with his best performance coming against Bengaluru Bulls, when he picked up 17 points from 20 raids in the Warriors' 44-37 win that propelled his team up the table.
Maninder Singh's first 'Super-10' was against the Telugu Titans when he picked up 11 points and followed it up with an improved 16-point show in a tense 40-40 against the UP Yoddha.
However, Singh's form dipped as he registered only 24 points from four matches in a row before he sprung back to form and picked three 'Super-10s' in a row to lead the Warriors to three wins in a row.
In Bengal's eliminator against Dabang Delhi KC, Singh picked up eight points to finish with 206 points from 22 games at an average of 9.363 points per game.
Matches - 22
Raid points - 206
Average - 9.363
#4 Ajay Thakur - Tamil Thalaivas
The veteran raider was in top nick all throughout the season as he led from the front with some clinical displays of raiding that fetched him a total of 203 raid points from 22 matches.
The Thalaivas' skipper picked up from where he left off last season as he dished out some top performances this season, including a 'Super-10' in his very first match against the Patna Pirates, a 14-point effort that led the Thalaivas to a dominating 42-26 win over the Pirates in the opening game of the season.
With two super 10s in the first three games, Ajay Thakur was at his best in the home leg against the Bengaluru Bulls, when he blazed through Bengaluru defensive unit and amassed 19 points, scoring more than half of the Thalaivas' total score of 37.
However, Thakur's efforts went in vain as his standout show through the season failed to take his team into the playoffs as the Thalaivas skipper ended the season with 203 points from 22 matches, with seven 'Super-10s'.
Matches - 22
Raid points - 203
Average - 9.227
#3 Siddharth Desai - U Mumba
When U Mumba broke the bank to procure the services of Siddharth Desai, an unknown quantity in the Pro Kabaddi League, the air was surrounded with whispers about the youngster's prolific show in the senior nationals which was sure to come to the fore on the biggest stage.
With a tall frame playing to his advantage, Desai was the cynosure of all eyes right through the season as he ran through a mighty Puneri Paltan setup to pick 15 points on his debut and followed it up with a 13-point show against Jaipur to announce his arrival in style.
A driving force for U Mumba's dominating run in the league stages, Desai also earned the dubious distinction of becoming the fastest player to reach the 200-raid point margin in just 19 matches, which received showers of praises from pundits and fans alike.
The fact that Desai, playing his first ever season, assumed the role of the lead raider ahead of Rohit Baliyan went on to add more paparazzi to his talent. At the end of the season, Desai finished with 218 raid points from 21 matches with twelve 'Super 10s' to his credit.
Matches - 21
Raid Points - 218
Average - 10.38
#2 Pardeep Narwal - Patna Pirates
Pardeep Narwal was in fine form as he picked up a total of 233 raid points from 21 matches and also topped the 'Super-10 charts with 15 Super-10s from the season, highlighting his commanding run with the Pirates.
With 369 raid points from the fifth season, a lot of hopes were pinned on Pardeep's form as the defending champions Patna came into the season with three titles in a row. The skipper did not disappoint as he sent out a wave of authority with three Super-10s in the first three matches that gave Patna an early impetus in the season.
With consistent shows in the middle sector of the edition, Pardeep came into his own as he notched 27 points in a single game against the Puneri Paltan, his best performance of the season and also finished with a 10-point effort against Gujarat in Patna's final league game.
From 21 matches, Pardeep finished with 233 raid points with 15 Super-10s to his credit.
Matches - 21
Raid points - 233
Average - 11.10
#1 Pawan Sehrawat - Bengaluru Bulls
The dynamic raider came into the season promising his coach Randhir Singh Sehrawat a minimum of 150 raid points from the season but at the end, exceeded all expectations as he notched up 271 raid points from 24 matches and ultimately led the Bulls to their first title in six seasons.
Sehrawat started the season on a powerful note as he picked up 20 raid points against the Tamil Thalaivas in the Bulls' first encounter and against the same opposition picked up 14 points in their next meetup.
A similar set of scores followed against the Haryana Steelers and the Patna Pirates as Sehrawat blazed through the oppositions like a hot knife through butter and in the finals of the league, Pawan Kumar Sehrawat produced his best-ever performance as he single-handedly led the Bulls to a title with 22 raid points against the defense-heavy Gujarat lineup.
In the end, Sehrawat also claimed the record of most points in a PKL final and finished with 271 raid points from 24 matches with 13 Super-10s from 24 matches.
Matches - 24
Raid points - 271
Average - 11.29
