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The second week of Pro Kabaddi League Season Three saw the kabaddi caravan move to the cities of Kolkata and Pune where the Patna Pirates stole the thunder with three wins and one draw. Champions U Mumba got their season back on track with three straight wins. Bengal Warriors had a good home leg with three wins putting them in second place behind the Patna Pirates. The Puneri Paltan on the other hand had mixed results at home with two draws and one win and a loss.It is only with the protection offered by the defenders that the raiders efforts are truly rewarded, just like how the continous protection offered by Castrol Activs Actibonds helps protect the engine when it is off.It was a week which was once again dominated by the raiders, but there were few defenders who swam against the tide to make a mark on the games. We take a look at five best defenders from Week Two of the Pro Kabaddi League Season 3.
#1 Manjeet Chhillar (Puneri Paltans)
Mr. Consistent for the Puneri Paltan, captain Manjeet Chhillar has been fighting a lone battle in their defence. His stellar performance against the Bengal Warriors where he racked up seven tackle points went in vain as the Paltan went down to the Warriors.
Chhillar has been consistently getting raiders out apart from the game against U Mumba. With 21 tackle points in five games in the past week, he is the most successful defender in the league at the moment.
#2 Rakesh Kumar (U Mumba)
Having assumed the captaincy for U Mumba in the last week, in Anup Kumar’s absence, Rakesh Kumar has let Shabeer Bapu and Rishank Devadiga take the charge of most of the raids. With Surender Nada and Mohit Chhillar missing, Kumar brilliantly deputised in a defensive role and proved to be their match-winner against the Bengal Warriors with six tackle points, that included a super tackle.
Rakesh continued his defensive exploits in Pune where his six tackle points in two games helped U Mumba to two more wins.
#3 Sandeep Narwal (Patna Pirates)
Despite featuring only for the first part of the week, Sandeep Narwal did enough to get into the top five defenders of this week. His six points were decisive as Patna Pirates beat the Bengal Warriors on their home patch in a crucial top of the table clash.
Narwal scored three tackle points in the Patna Pirates’ win over Telugu Titans. Sandeep Narwal has been highly consistent in his performances and the Patna Pirates slightly struggled in the defensive department in his absence.
#4 Girish Ernak (Bengal Warriors)
Girish Ernak is having a great season with the Bengal Warriors and was excellent in the Warriors’ four games at home. Girish has been consistently picking up points for the Warriors and his twelve tackle points in five games proved that.
Ernak was most impressive in the Warriors’ comfortable win against the Jaipur Pink Panthers when he bagged four tackle points and didn’t give raiders like Rajesh Narwal and Sonu Narwal an inch.
#5 Fazel Atrachali (U Mumba)
The Iranian defender who came in for Surender Nada did a brilliant job as he scored ten tackle points in three matches. Fazel Atrachali’s strong show playing at the left corner not just ensured U Mumba didn’t miss Surender Nada, but has also given coach Bhaskaran Edachery a selection headache for the next game.
Fazel was particularly good against the Bengal Warriors and his dash on the Bengal Warriors’ Mahesh Goud completely caught the raider off guard. It was a week to remember for the Iranians and Fazel Atrachali certainly played a part in that case.
