Pro Kabaddi League 2018: Top 5 raiding performances from the Inter-Zone Challenge Week
The Inter-Zone Challenge Week's Phase I took place between 21st to 28th October, with a total of 12 matches being played. The phase was divided into 2 venues, while the first 6 matches took place in Pune at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, the remaining 6 took place at the Patliputra Sports Complex in Patna.
These matches pitted teams from Zone A against the teams from the other zone, Zone B. A lot of exciting, edge of the seat matches took place, in which some new and some established raiders left their mark.
Here's a list of the Top 5 raiding performances from the Inter-Zone Challenge Week.
#5 Naveen Kumar (11 points) - Dabang Delhi vs Bengal Warriors, Match 27
It would have been improbable to predict a Delhi win against a strong Bengal Warriors before the start of the match.
Delhi had been struggling for form, with lapses in both attack and defence, while the Warriors had been unbeaten in the tournament so far. So, the scales were heavily tipped towards a Bengal win.
But, Dabang Delhi had another thing planned as they stepped up their game to produce an all-round performance with significant contributions from attack and defence to defeat the Warriors by a dominating 9-point margin (39-30).
Leading their attack was the young Naveen Kumar, a teenager playing his debut PKL season. He justified the faith of his coaches and his captain, as he scored 11 raid points. The interesting thing was that he was never tackled by the opposition in his 22 attempted raids, giving an idea of the agility and skill that he possessed.
Scoring a Super-10 against a defense comprising the likes of Surjeet Singh, Ran Singh, and Shrikant Tewthia is a dream for many raiders, and Naveen made sure to fulfil his on the way to taking his team to a much-needed victory in the competition.