PKL 2019: The best starting seven from the teams that have qualified for the playoffs
The seventh season of Pro Kabaddi 2019 is in its final stage as only five more games are left in the competition. At the end of the league phase, six teams earned a spot in the playoffs.
While the top 2 teams - Dabang Delhi K.C. and Bengal Warriors directly qualified for the semi-finals, the remaining four teams in the final six will now need to win their next games to join Delhi and Bengal in the semis.
The league stage of this edition showcased the high standard at which the game is being played now. While plenty of games were decided at the last minute, we also saw several individual records created in the last twelve weeks.
However, the focus will now shift to the playoffs as teams will look to give their best in their final few minutes on the mat this season. There are quality players in each of the teams that have qualified for the playoffs.
In this article, we have compiled the best starting seven from the teams that have qualified for the playoffs.
Defenders: Fazel Atrachali, Nitesh Kumar and Ravi Kumar
Although he might have liked a better start to this edition, Iran and U Mumba's star defender Fazel Atrachali compensated it with fine performances for his squad after the initial stutter. At the end of the league phase, Atrachali finished as the best defender with 78 tackle points from 22 games. Hence, the dash specialist made it to this elite squad on account of his solid showings on the mat.
UP Yoddha captain Nitesh Kumar also enjoyed a similar campaign to that of the Iranian in the league stage. However, the best defender from Season 6 took more time to recover than his Iranian counterpart. Nevertheless, Kumar started executing his ankle holds better as the tournament reached its halfway stage. The right corner specialist collected 70 tackle points in 22 games and helped his team earn a spot in the playoffs.
Ravi Kumar from Haryana Steelers is one player not many talked about in the league phase. The right cover defender was very effective with his tackles on the mat and contributed 52 points this season. Unlike other teams, the Haryana Steelers' defense succeeded more because of the collective performances of the players than their individual achievements. Ravi Kumar is the prime example of this and hence, he made it to this seven ahead of UP Yoddha's Sumit.