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The 4th edition of the Pro Kabaddi League saw a new record being set, with Patna Pirates becoming the 1st team to win back to back titles. Jaipur Pink Panthers ended as the runner’s up, while Puneri Paltan got the better of Telugu Titans to cement a successive 3rd place finish.
The league headed into the final week of the group stage games at Delhi’s Thyagaraj Complex with quite a few permutations and combinations left to be figured out for the final spot.
Dabang Delhi had 3 games to show their ability to perform at home, but failed to win any while Puneri Paltan won their all-important game against Bengaluru Bulls, thanks to captain Manjeet Chillar’s stupendous effort to qualify for the semi-finals. U Mumba missed out on a top four spot for the 1st time ever, despite toppling home side Dabang Delhi.
Castrol Activ’s Actibonds cling on to the engine and form a protective layer, preventing any damage and enabling better performance of the bike, very similar to how defenders in Kabaddi protect their raiders and prevent any danger coming in their team’s direction.
The week saw some exhilarating games and performances. While there were quite a few good raiding performances, defenders were on their game as well, producing many performances of note, especially Manjeet, who produced the best returns for a defender in Pro Kabaddi League.
Here are the top 5 defenders of the week -
Sandeep Narwal
A raider turned defender, Sandeep Narwal never has a dull moment. The former Patna Pirates man came into his own against his former team and produced a strong performance to help Telugu Titans register a thumping win over arch rivals.
Doing his defensive duties to perfection, Sandeep didn’t let any of the Patna raiders make hay and didn’t waste a second to put in a challenge. He went on to pick 6 tackle points in the game, taking his team to the win.
Narwal marshalled the Titans’defense very well throughout the season, and though the Titans couldn’t convert their dominance into a championship, Sandeep was at the centre of everything defensively good.
Amit Hooda
Jaipur Pink Panthers have a man they can rely on in the right corner in the form of Amit Hooda. He was in some fine form in their semi-final against the Telugu Titans. Up against the most successful raider of the season in Rahul Chaudhari, Hooda brought his A-game and was up for the challenge.
Some fine ankle holds and strong blocks saw him gather a fine tally of 4 points against the Titans as he propelled his side to gain the upper hand in the match. Amit Hooda produced another decent performance in the finals, claiming 3 raid points, but Patna Pirates were at a different level and came out triumphant in the end.
Manjeet Chillar
Though he had an injury-plagued season and missed a few games, he made it to the mat for the crucial final push for a semi-final spot and orchestrated his side to perfection.
Against Dabang Delhi, Manjeet himself believed he was more of a liability to the team in terms of his position as an all-rounder but his leadership on the mat went a long way in Puneri Paltan emerging victorious.
He then made amends and set a new Pro Kabaddi League record, claiming 11 tackle points in the all- important, must win game for Puneri Paltan, stamping his authority on the game.
Chhillar was immense once again in the semi-final against Patna, scoring 7 points, only to see his team lose to a superior Patna Pirates side who just refused to give up.
All in all, Manjeet had a fantastic week on the mat and would be happy with his performance and content with his side’s third place finish.
Hadi Oshtorak
The Iranian Hadi has not been a regular for Patna Pirates in the right corner position, but has delivered when called upon, forming a formidable pair with his fellow Iranian, Fazel Atrachali.
Though Hadi came off the bench in the game against Dabang Delhi, he secured 2 tackle points. He then had another feeble outing in a game where Patna Pirates just didn’t seem like their usual self, but this didn’t hamper his spirit and fight.
He rose to the fore in the semi-finals against the Paltan, when he came off the bench and pulled off a couple of top notch tackles to keep Patna Pirates in the game, scoring 4 crucial points.
A big game player, he was also on top of the game in the final and collected the most tackle points, 5 in total, to provide the necessary cushion to the raiders and hand an easy win to the Patna Pirates.
Fazel Atrachali
While Hadi ruled the right corner, Fazel made his presence felt on the other corner of the mat to provide no respite to the opposition raiders. The great thing about the combination was that when one had an off moment, the other made up for it and made it count for the Pirates.
Fazel started off the week with a fine performance against Dabang Delhi and with his 4 points, helped Patna Pirates win by a solitary point.
He continued to deliver the goods and was the standout player for his side in their huge loss to Telugu Titans, bagging 8 tackle points.
With his crucial tackles and blocks in the playoffs, he provided ample support to his teammates as and when needed and played an instrumental role in thje Patna Pirates’ second successive title win.
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