Pro Kabaddi 2019: Top 5 defenders with most points till Chennai leg
The fifth week of VIVO Pro Kabaddi 2019 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Sports Complex in Chennai saw some hard-hitting rivalries ignite along with close finishes to the matches. Hosts Tamil Thalaivas remained winless in their home leg with three losses and a tie to culminate the leg.
Defending champions Bengaluru Bulls dominated the opening day versus Tamil Thalaivas 21-32 courtesy a Pawan Sehrawat masterclass. In the second day of the Chennai leg, Tamil Thalaivas and Puneri Paltan fought a tightly contested match which ended in a breath-taking tie at 31-31.
Thalaivas squared off against Jaipur Pink Panthers but but lost by a scoreline of 26-28 in what was the most heated match of this season. A comeback from U Mumba's defence in the second half of their game against Thalaivas 24-29 crushed the hosts' hopes of winning in their home leg in this season.
Sandeep Dhull, Baldev Singh, and Sunil Kumar have the most High-5s (3) till the Chennai leg with Sandeep Dhull at the top position. Pankaj with an average of 4.5 tackle points in two matches has the best so far. All-rounder Monu from Patna Pirates has executed six super tackles so far in the season.
As we move to the next home leg in Delhi, let's have a look at the five top defenders of the season till the Chennai leg.
#5 Sunil Kumar - Gujarat Fortune Giants
The captain of Gujarat Fortune Giants, Sunil Kumar has been decent with his form and has led the rest of the defence as a composed leader till now. Despite the six-match losing streak for Gujarat, Sunil Kumar has made formidable efforts to unite his team on the same wavelength.
Gujarat Fortune Giants faced Patna Pirates in their only match in Chennai leg after a forgetful outing at home in Ahmedabad. Skipper Sunil Kumar prevailed over the offence of Patna Pirates and scored three tackle points in four attempts to get the team to a victory.
Sunil Kumar has 28 tackle points in ten matches and has scored 3 High-5s in the season so far. He has been amazing with his lower body tackles over the raiders and dismantling their balance to stop them from scoring raid points.