Star Sports Pro Kabaddi Season 4: Team of the Tournament
The fourth edition of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi (PKL) ended in Hyderabad after 37 days of non-stop action with Patna Pirates defending their title against Jaipur Pink Panthers. The second PKL this year was a sight to behold as teams were shuffled ahead of the season, which led to a more competitive tournament.
The team that impressed the most was, of course, the winners Patna, as they created history by becoming the first team to win the tournament twice. However, there were plenty of individuals who shined despite their teams falling short of the title or not performing well.
Let’s take a look at the best 7 individuals from the tournament who make up the team of the tournament:
Pardeep Narwal (Patna Pirates) – Raider
How can a team of the tournament of Season 4 not have its Most Valuable Player (MVP)? Pardeep Narwal storms into the team after amassing a humongous 131 raid points, the second most. The 19-year-old scored a final record 16 points, which resulted in Patna Pirates lifting the trophy for the second time. He is also the youngest ever MVP in PKL history.
Rahul Chaudhari (Telugu Titans) – Raider
It was no doubt that Rahul Chaudhari would be adjudged as the best raider of Season 4 at the end of the tournament. Despite his team failing to finish in the podium positions, the Telugu Titans skipper scored 146 points to end the fourth edition as the top scorer. And he achieved all this despite playing nursing a shoulder injury throughout the tournament!
Deepak Niwas Hooda (Puneri Paltan) – Raider
He is 22 years old, but Deepak Niwas Hooda starred for Puneri Paltan and helped them to their second consecutive third place finish in PKL. An all-rounder by trade, Deepak was free to concentrate on his raiding due to the presence of Manjeet Chhillar, Joginder Narwal, and Ravinder Pahal at the back. He ended up scoring 126 raid points in the recently concluded season.
Manjeet Chhillar (Puneri Paltan) – Right Cover
There is no doubt that Manjeet Chhillar is one of the best all-rounders in the world right now. The Puneri Paltan captain proved his quality once again as he completed 43 successful tackles while scoring 24 points from his raids. Despite playing with a heavily strapped knee, Manjeet broke the record for most tackle points in a single match by winning 11 points for his team in their final league game.
Sachin Shingade (Dabang Delhi) – Left Cover
Dabang Delhi once again had a season to forget as they finished second last, but Sachin Shingade emerged as a shining light for the Eagles. Playing for an under-performing team, the left cover defender was involved in 39 successful tackles – a testament to the 28-year-old’s quality. He got his team out of a hole on plenty of occasions as seen with 5 completed super tackles.
Amit Hooda (Jaipur Pink Panthers) – Right Corner
Ending the tournament with a humongous 52.8% success rate in tackles, Amit Hooda was Jaipur Pink Panthers’ best player this season. The 20-year-old ended the season with the most successful tackles (47) as he helped his team reach the final after a 2-year gap. He was also involved in 4 super tackles.
Fazel Atrachali (Patna Pirates) – Left Corner
There was double delight for Iranian Fazel Atrachali as he was announced as the Best Defender of the Season after winning the PKL trophy. The 24-year-old former U Mumba star was a rock at the back for the 2-time champions and inflicted 45 successful tackles on the opponents with a massive 62.5% tackle success rate and 7 super tackles.