Pro Kabaddi League report card
It is hard to think that a month long excitement is coming to an end. Yes, I am talking about Pro Kabbadi League- the next big thing in Indian sports. Since league stage has finished, it is time to analyze every team’s performance.
Puneri Paltans
The name Paltan means group of soldiers. But, for this team it has been a one man army. No team depends more upon one man than this team. Their captain Wazir Singh has notched up 104 raid points, a good 50+ raid points more than their next best raider. This stat became more impressive considering the fact Singh missed few games due to injury. Their most expansive signing Manoj Kumar and Kalimuthu Balamahendran did deliver some goods in defence. But their tally of 20 tackles each put them in joint 19th spot. Stats don’t lie and because of their poor stats, Pune find themselves in bottom of table.
Played-14: Won-2: Lost-12: Draw-0: Pts-17
Bengal Warriors
This team showed flashes of brilliance but faded out in crucial times. This team is the first to play an overseas star in their team. Jang Kun-Lee from Korea. He shined in the initial stages of tournament but then completely faded out only to return to form after his team got eliminated. The positive for Kolkata was that when Kun-Lee failed, Nithin Madane was there to step up to the challenge. If Madane had got decent support from other raiders, it could have been a different story for the Warriors. Their captain, Nilesh Shinde was a lone star in otherwise soggy defence. Only during lateral stages, Shinde got support from Sachin Khambe. However, by then it was too late for the Warriors.
Played-14: Won-4: Lost-9: Draw-1: Pts-24
Dabang Delhi
It is a big surprise that a team having two of the top five raiders as well as two of the top five defenders ended up in sixth place. But that’s Kabaddi for you, folks. The reason is that the team did not fire as a unit. When Surjit Narwal fired, Kashiling Adeke failed and vice versa. On rare occasions, when both of them fired, their defence failed.
Played-14: Won-5: Lost-8: Draw-1: Pts-32
Telugu Titans
The team from Vizag will be utterly disappointed to missed out on a knock-out berth. After an impressive undefeated home leg, they were a little bit weary in the Jaipur and Bengaluru legs. That ultimately cost them a spot in the play-offs. In Rahul Chaudhary, Sugesh Hegde and Deepak Nivas Hooda, they had one of the deadliest raiding trios in their squad. But, the same can’t be said of their defence. For a team fighting for knock-outs, having just 1 defender in the top 20 is not a great sign. Despite failing to qualify, the Titans gave us more memorable moments- Sugesh’s last minute raid vs. U Mumba, Rahul’s one man effort vs. U Mumba, that one point loss to Bengaluru Bulls in the virtual quarters.
Played-14: Won-6: Lost-5: Draw-3: Pts-42
Patna Pirates
Led by Indian national team Captain Rakesh Kumar, Patna finished fourth in the table. It was no surprise to see the team having Rakesh Kumar, Ravi Dalal, Sandeep Narwal qualify for the knock-outs. Sandeep Narwal, in my opinion, is best all-rounder of the tournament so far. He had a knack of producing moments of magic time and again. The raiding trio had a good support in defence in the form of Waseem Sajjad, Girish Ernak, Suresh Kumar and that man Narwal, who has been their best defender with 26 tackles.
Played-14: Won-7: Lost-5: Draw-2: Pts-45
Bengaluru Bulls
This is the team built on their solid defence given the fact they have four defenders in the top 20 and headed by their inspirational skipper Manjith Chillar. Although Chillar was an all-rounder, his stats as a raider were not impressive enough. Ajay Thakur was by far their best raider. The team had a knack of closing out the games. Having the last leg of league matches at home turned out to be crucial for the Bulls. Three wins and a loss in four home matches is an impressive record.
Played-14: Won-8: Lost-5: Draw-1: Pts-47
U Mumba
U Mumba started their campaign in an outstanding fashion. After eight matches, the team was unbeaten, winning six and drawing two. But injuries to their best players like Shabir Babu Sharfudeen, Surinder Nada, Jeeva Kumar put brakes on their campaign. They were victory-less in next five matches, losing three and drawing two, before ending their campaign with two victories. The team boasts quality players with Anup Kumar, Shabir and Rishank Deavdiga in attack and Surinder, Mohit Chillar, Vishal Prabhakar Mane and Jeeva Kumar in defence.
Played-14: Won-8: Lost-3: Draw-3: Pts-51
Jaipur Pink Panthers
Table-toppers Panthers started the tournament in the worst fashion with a big defeat against U Mumba. The players positively reacted to the heavy defeat and went on a eight-matches wining streak. With experienced captain Navneet Gautam leading the defence alongside Rohit Rana, Prashant Chavan and the ever-reliable Maninder Singh leading the attack which also included Jasvir Singh and Rajesh Narwal, the team had a right mix of champions. Their results were proof of their quality.
Played-14: Won-10: Lost-3: Draw-1: Pts-54