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U Mumba's camp was beaming with news of the future potential of a relatively unknown raider in their pre-season training camp ahead of Season 6 of the Pro Kabaddi League 2018.
A lot of eyes were on Siddharth Sirish Desai, the tall 26-year old lad from Kolhapur (Maharashtra), who was all set to make his Pro Kabaddi debut against a strong side, the Puneri Paltan.
The threat of a strong side wouldn't hamper his debut match as he rose to the occasion to score a phenomenal 15 raid points (13 touch and 2 bonus points) to take his team to victory in the first leg of the Maharashtra derby.
Siddharth isn't new to the Kabaddi mat, he was a part of the Maharashtra side that won the Senior National Kabaddi Championship 2017-18. And he had been in the news for his consistent and terrific performances in state-level competitions and for Air India in the domestic competitions.
The news of his match-winning performances led to a fierce round of bidding at this season's auction where he was finally sold to U Mumba for a whopping ₹36,40,000 (36 lakh 40 thousand).
He has lived up to his billing so far and has been U Mumba's top raider this season. His splendid performance in this season has assured U Mumba of a probable future superstar in their ranks.
Here are five reasons why he is sure to stand out from the rest:
#5 Not Out Percentage of 82.41%
It's very crucial for any player to stay on the mat, especially for a raider, as his team could need him any moment of the game. The presence of any raider on the mat gives his captain the options that he needs to strategize and plan the game to their advantage.
Siddharth has shown his calm by not getting into unnecessary tackles and hence avoid spending a lot of time on the bench.
#4 Highest Number of Do-or-Die Raid points
Siddharth has the highest number of Do-or-Die Raid points, which is 15 points from his 5 matches. This shows the faith the coach and his captain, Fazel Atrachali, have on this young lad.
And he has shown tremendous calm and composure to not let them down by getting 15 crucial points in his Do-or-Die raids.
#3 Highest Number of Super 10s
Siddharth scored a Super-10 in all but one of his matches. His raid points from his 5 matches stand at -
Match 1 vs Puneri Paltan - 15 points
Match 2 vs Jaipur Pink Panthers - 13 points
Match 3 vs Haryana Steelers - 8 points
Match 4 vs Haryana Steelers - 15 points
Match 5 vs Puneri Paltan - 15 points
Except for Match 3 vs Haryana Steelers, he scored a Super-10 in all of his other matches.
#2 Highest Raid Points per Match
Although it's just the beginning phase of the tournament, Siddharth has managed to etch out a place for himself among the likes of Nitin Tomar, Ajay Thakur, and Pardeep Narwal at the 3rd place in the Raid Points list with a total of 66 raid points from 5 matches.
But what has been most impressive is his consistency throughout all these 5 matches. He is the highest in terms of the average raid point per match among players who have played a minimum of 5 matches this season with 13.2 raid points per match. This shows his strength and skill to make the most out of the opportunities that he is presented with.
He has been U Mumba's top raider in 4 of the 5 matches played and has been awarded the VIVO Perfect Raider award on all those 4 occasions.
#1 Fastest to Score 50 Raid Points in PKL history
Siddharth Sirish Desai has done what the likes of Pardeep Narwal, Rohit Kumar, Ajay Thakur, Monu Goyat and Nitin Tomar had failed to do. He got to 50 raid points in just the 4th match of his debut season, creating a Pro Kabaddi League record.
A versatile raider who can raid from either side, he has worked hard on his strength and fitness which has taken his game to the next level. His tall physique helps him execute the running hand touches on the opposition and his raw power helps him bulldoze through the opposition's chains.
His determination, power, and calmness are key traits that make him a great fit for the National Team. His pairing with Indian team's captain, Ajay Thakur, would be one to watch out for.
