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The Pro Kabaddi League is set to welcome yet another edition as PKL 7 will commence from the 20th of July at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad. With the teams making some smart buys in the auctions, a number of franchises will be heavily relying on their defensive unit.
Undoubtedly, one of the most important aspects of kabaddi is the defensive unit. The raiders help their team in gaining a lead while the defenders ensure that the lead stays with the team. The rule makers have brought about a change in the sport by introducing new concepts every year.
The Super Tackle rule, which rewards the defending team two points when they execute a successful tackle with three or less defenders on the mat has added more intensity to the game.
As we build up to an exciting Pro Kabaddi 2019, here are three defenders with the most number of Super Tackles in the history of the league.
#3 Jeeva Kumar - 21
Veteran defender Jeeva Kumar has been a fitness icon for all the senior players. Despite being 38, the cover defender can still get the better of the younger and swifter raiders. Kumar has executed 21 super tackles in the six seasons of the Pro Kabaddi League.
He started off his journey with U Mumba in the first edition. Jeeva played four seasons for the Mumbai-based franchise from where he picked up 10 Super Tackles to his name, with seven of his 10 Super Tackles coming in U Mumba's season two title winning campaign.
The dash specialist switched to UP Yoddha in season 5. He spent two seasons with the Yoddha, aggregating 84 tackle points in two editions. Jeeva Kumar scored 11 Super Tackles from season 5 and season 6 to occupy the third position in the list of most Super Tackles.
The 38-year-old will play for Bengal Warriors in PKL 7.
#2 Dharmaraj Cheralathan - 21
Another veteran to feature on this list, Dharmaraj Cheralathan has been one of the most prolific defenders of the Pro Kabaddi League. The senior most player of the league has played 99 matches in his PKL career and has 216 tackle points from the tournament at an average of 1.96 points per match.
Besides registering 11 High 5s in the six editions, Cheralathan has executed 21 Super Tackles for the various franchises he has played. Playing for the Bengaluru Bulls in season 1 and season 2, Dharmraj picked up six Super Tackles before he switched to the Telugu Titans for season 3.
His best performance came when he was handed the reins of Patna Pirates in season 4. Cheralathan scored 39 tackle points that season with eight Super Tackles. The ankle hold specialist could only pick up four Super Tackles in the next two seasons.
#1 Sandeep Narwal - 23
All-rounder Sandeep Narwal came into the limelight with a terrific raiding performance against U Mumba in the first edition of the Pro Kabaddi League. However, the block specialist has shifted his focus to defending since then. The all-rounder usually plays at the corner positions and becomes more dangerous when in a Super Tackle situation.
Sandeep has executed 23 super tackles in 101 PKL games which shows how reliable he is when the team is on the verge of an all-out. His 7 Super Tackles in the previous season helped Sandeep leapfrog Jeeva Kumar and Dharmaraj Cheralathan to top this leader board.
For season 7 of the Pro Kabaddi League, Sandeep will be turning out for U Mumba alongside Fazel Atrachali and with the duo forming a strong partnership, it could well turn out to be the gamechanger for the season 2 champions.
