Maninder Singh is fifth in the leaderboard for raid points with 731 points from just 79 matches. Instrumental in Bengal Warriors�?victorious campaign in Season 7, Maninder was their go-to man in pressure situations and always delivered when the team needed him the most. He was Bengal’s leading raid points-scorer last season with 205 points from 20 matches �?including six Super Raids �?and was also Jaipur Pink Panthers�?talisman in attack in the inaugural Pro Kabaddi season, which they won. Here, we have a look at Maninder’s top Super 10 performances. 

Jaipur Pink Panthers VS Bengal Warriors, Match 103 (PKL 7)

The swashbuckling raider’s best Pro Kabaddi performance came against his former team Jaipur Pink Panthers and it turned out to be pivotal as his contribution helped Bengal Warriors register a tight victory. He completed one Super Raid in the match and finished the game as its top-scorer with 19 raid points to show for his efforts. His role in the closing stages of the contest, in particular, drew praise as he picked up points when his team desperately needed them and went about empty raids to kill the clock and help Bengal over the line.

Bengal Warriors VS Haryana Steelers, Match 97 (PKL 7)

A few days before his stellar display against Jaipur, Maninder wowed the crowd in a game that saw him complete his fifth Super Raid of the seventh season. This time the opponent in question were Haryana Steelers but just like the Panthers, they couldn’t do anything to stop Maninder as he went about his business in style. He was the leading points scorer in the match with 18 raid points and never allowed Haryana to get a sniff of victory thanks to his consistent and clinical raids that helped the Warriors to a comfortable 48-36 win. 

Bengal Warriors VS Bengaluru Bulls, Match 88 (PKL 7)

After scoring 17 raid points against Bengaluru Bulls in the previous campaign, Maninder was at it again against the same opponent the following season. It was a close contest with neither team refusing to budge but Maninder’s temperament under pressure again proved to be Bengal’s saving grace and gave them the win. He completed a Super Raid in the match and finished with 17 raid points, including a two-point raid that included a bonus at a crucial time. The Warriors eventually edged the game 42-40 with Maninder solidifying his ability in the clutch.

Telugu Titans VS Bengal Warriors, Match 106 (PKL 7)

Season 7, in fact, saw plenty of close encounters and Telugu Titans�?clash against Bengal Warriors at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur was yet another. Siddharth ‘Baahubali�?Desai was the Titans�?biggest threat and managed a Super 10. However, Maninder was one step ahead of him and ended the night with 17 raid points to give Bengal a 40-39 win. Leading from the front, Maninder ensured that his side had a stranglehold on the contest from the start and kept ticking the scoreboard over to demoralize the opposition. The top-scorer in the match, Maninder contribution proved to be the difference on the night.   

Bengaluru Bulls VS Bengal Warriors, Match 88 (PKL 6)

Squaring off against Bengaluru Bulls at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune, the match was billed as a faceoff between two star raiders. Pawan Sehrawat was Bengaluru’s primary raiding threat, but it turned out to be Maninder’s night. He outscored Sehrawat and finished the night with 17 raid points and helped the Warriors complete a spirited comeback to beat the Bulls. Trailing 12-20 at one stage, it was Maninder’s determination and skill that helped turn things around for his team and gave them a 44-37 win.

Feature image courtesy: ProKabaddi.com

Due to the league’s auction rules, it is an incredibly rare sight to see a player in the Pro Kabaddi league spend multiple seasons with the same team.

A handful of top players have, however, managed to stay with the same side for a number of years and build their status as not just incredible kabaddi players but also leave a legacy at their team.

Below, we take a look at the players who lead franchises in points scored, starting with the first six teams in alphabetical order.

Bengal Warriors �?Maninder Singh

Current skipper Maninder Singh led the way for the Bengal Warriors with 603 points in just 65 matches, a tremendous average of 9.27 points. Interestingly, Maninder only took over from previous leader Jang Kun Lee in Season 7. The Korean, who spent six seasons with the franchise, scored 411 points in his time with the team.

Bengaluru Bulls �?Pawan Sehrawat

With 673 points, Season 6 MVP and the reigning Best Raider Pawan Sehrawat is the Bengaluru Bulls�?all-time leading scorer. Off those 673, Sehrawat has scored 617 in the last two campaigns with the other 55 coming in his first stint with the team in Season 3 and 4.

Dabang Delhi K.C. �?Naveen Kumar

Reigning PKL MVP Naveen Kumar is Dabang Delhi K.C.’s all-time leading scorer with 480 points. The young sensation has played just 45 matches for the team and scored his points at an incredible average of 10.66. Previously, Kashiling Adake was the team’s leading scorer with 406 points.

Gujarat Fortunegiants �?Sachin Tanwar

Raider Sachin Tanwar has been with Gujarat Fortunegiants since their debut and is their all-time leading scorer with 462 points in 63 matches. Tanwar scored 159 points in his debut campaign in Season 5 and was named the Best Debutant of the season.

Haryana Steelers �?Vikash Kandola

Vikash Kandola has risen from a young and promising raider to one of the best in the PKL. Kandola scored 195 points in Season 7, taking his tally to 430 points in 51 matches for the Steelers. The raider is well clear of next best Prashant Kumar Rai, who has scored 171 for the side.

Jaipur Pink Panthers �?Deepak Niwas Hooda and Jasvir Singh

The third-highest scorer in the history of the PKL Deepak Niwas Hooda is Jaipur Pink Panthers�?all-time leading scorer with 366 points, alongside former player Jasvir, who spent five seasons with the franchise. Hooda, however, is the team’s most successful raider with 342 points, four more than Jasvir who scored 338 points.

Feature images courtesy: ProKabaddi.com

Earlier, we looked at the list of the Pro Kabaddi league’s most efficient defenders in Season 7 and it featured some of the sport’s best.

Likewise, below we look at the raiders, who were not only incredibly prolific in Season 7, but also thoroughly efficient on the mat.

Here are the top five most efficient raiders in Pro Kabaddi Season 7:

(NOTE: This list only features raiders with over 100 raid points in Season 7 of the Pro Kabaddi League)

Pawan Sehrawat - Bengaluru Bulls

The league’s leading raid point scorer was also its most efficient.

Breaking the record in front of the Record-Breaker himself - Pawan Sehrawat's 35th raid point in #HARvBLR is bound to go down in the history of the game!

Relive our moment of the day here!

⚔�: #VIVOProKabaddi
⌛�: Every day, 7 PM
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�?ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) October 3, 2019

The Bengaluru Bulls superstar scored 346 raid points in just 461 raid attempts, giving him an incredible strike rate of 75.05. Sehrawat was the only raider or defender in the league with a strike rate of over 70 in Pro Kabaddi Season 7.

Despite raiding so heavily, Sehrawat still had the highest percentage of successful raids, with 56.83 among players with over 100 raid points in Season 7.

Pardeep Narwal �?Patna Pirates

Pro Kabaddi’s G.O.A.T., Pardeep Narwal was the second most efficient raider in Pro Kabaddi Season 7.

For the first time since Season 3, Pardeep failed to win an individual award at the end of the campaign, as Sehrawat beat him to the Best Raider award while Dabang Delhi K.C.’s Naveen Kumar won the league’s Most Valuable Player award.

Pardeep Narwal is our raider of the match, in other news, sky is still blue!

The record-breaker turned #HYDvPAT, helping @PatnaPirates to tie the #VIVOProKabaddi encounter.

All kabaddi action:

�?Everyday, 7 PM

Star Sports & Hotstar#IsseToughKuchNahi pic.twitter.com/9YVHHDp12F

�?ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) September 20, 2019

Still, Pardeep embarked on another historic campaign. The raider became the first man in Pro Kabaddi history to record multiple campaigns with over 300 raid points. His 302 came in 453 raid attempts, giving him a strike rate of 66.66 percent.

It wasn’t the easiest campaign for Pardeep, however, as the raider was tackled an incredible 109 times, trailing only Sehrawat in that category, who was tackled six more times than Pardeep in more raid attempts. The Patna Pirates ace had the lowest percentage of successful raids among the top 5 raid point scorers of Season 7, with only 51.66.

What helped his strike rate was his league-leading 15 Super Tackles, the second-most by a player in a single Pro Kabaddi campaign, behind Pardeep’s own record of 18 in Season 5.

Siddharth Desai �?Telugu Titans

After a rough start to his campaign in Season 7, Telugu Titans�?Siddharth Desai slowly got into his groove and finished the campaign in strong fashion, ending it with 217 raid points.

Rise, Baahubali!
Siddharth Desai showed why @Telugu_Titans shelled out the big bucks for him this season with a show-stealing performance to help his side pick up their first win of the season!

Keep watching #VIVOProKabaddi on Star Sports & Hotstar! #IsseToughKuchNahi pic.twitter.com/iNelfV3Qhp

�?ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) August 12, 2019

Desai took 331 raid attempts to score his 217 raid points, giving him a strike rate of 65.55. Desai also boasted of a raid success rate of 53.47, which ranked third in the league among players with 100 raid points, ahead of the likes of Naveen Kumar and Pardeep Narwal.

The Telugu Titans skipper also had the fourth-most multi-point raids in Season 7 with 40, behind Sehrawat (84), Pardeep (68) and Naveen (50).

Maninder Singh �?Bengal Warriors

Despite missing the playoffs, it’s hard to overlook Maninder Singh’s contribution for the Bengal Warriors in Season 7.

.@BengalWarriors skipper Maninder Singh has a habit of pulling off outrageous raids, and the #Mumboys had no answer to this one!

Watch #VIVOProkabaddi every day at 7 PM, LIVE on Star Sports and Hotstar. #IsseToughKuchNahi pic.twitter.com/tHsYGQJ5xF

�?ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) August 10, 2019

Captain Mani led the team with 205 raid points and it took him just 318 raid attempts to score them, giving him a raid strike rate of 64.46. With a raid success rate of 53.77, Maninder ranked only second behind Sehrawat in that category, and his 57 failed raids were the fewest among players with over 150 raid points in Season 7.

Naveen Kumar �?Dabang Delhi K.C.

League MVP Naveen Kumar finished the campaign with 301 raid points, which took him to a league-high 472 raid attempts, giving him a raid strike rate of 63.77.

A 10th Super 10 for @DabangDelhiKC's #10 Naveen Kumar saw them steal a win from the Panthers in the very end! What a season he’s having!

Keep watching #VIVOProKabaddi action, LIVE on Star Sports and Hotstar. #IsseToughKuchNahi #RivalryWeek pic.twitter.com/b5snv9mMXU

�?ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) September 5, 2019

Naveen’s raid success rate of 53.18 was the fourth-best among players with over 150 raid points. However, his 70 failed raids were the second-fewest among players with over 200 raid points.

Feature image courtesy: ProKabaddi.com

In Match 115 of Pro Kabaddi Season 7, league-leaders Dabang Delhi K.C. took on Bengal Warriors in what was a duel between the two best teams of the league stage. The team from the capital were on a six-match unbeaten run and coming into this game off a 60-40 mauling of Puneri Paltan.

Dabang Delhi were the heavy favourites in the duel but led by skipper Maninder Singh, Bengal Warriors outclassed the table-toppers 42-33. However, the victory came at a price and a big one at that.

Maninder, who had breached the 200-point mark for the season in this match, suffered an injury that ruled him out of the remainder of the campaign. The Warriors, though, held the fort in the skipper’s absence and sneaked into the final with a narrow two-point victory over U Mumba in the semi-final, setting up a clash another against Dabang Delhi K.C. in the final.

Which way is the bench for defenders?

Maninder: way!#VIVOProKabaddi continues:
�? NOW
: Star Sports and Hotstar#IsseToughKuchNahi #JAIvKOL pic.twitter.com/kjSDVdIUcD

�?ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) September 22, 2019

 

Bengal Warriors' opportunity of a lifetime

“We all thought Delhi were going to win,�?said Maninder in an Instagram live on the Pro Kabaddi handle. “The way they started the game, it was theirs to win.�?/p>

Dabang Delhi raced to a 6-0 lead in the final and soon inflicted the game’s first All-Out in just the sixth minute to take an 11-3 lead. At this point, it felt as if the question wasn’t ‘Will Delhi win?�? but rather ‘How many will Delhi win by?�?/p>

However, Maninder revealed how the team meeting the morning of the final played a role in Bengal Warriors weathering the storm and forcing a strong comeback.   

“In the team meeting, we had a discussion and we basically said to ourselves that today, we have an opportunity. Who knows if we will get this opportunity in Pro Kabaddi ever again? So, we knew that this was our chance to etch our names in the history books. And there was no selfish motive behind it, but rather a team spirit that bound us together,�?said Maninder.

Led by stand-in captain Mohammad Nabibakhsh, the Warriors embarked on 14-6 run in the remainder of the first half that saw them go into the break with the scores level at 17-17. With momentum on their side, the Warriors were seemingly the happier of the two teams at the break.

Bengal Warriors' complete team performance

In the absence of Maninder, the onus fell on Nabibakhsh, Sukesh Hegde and K. Prapanjan to negate the skipper’s loss but it was a wildcard -- raider Ravindra Ramesh Kumawat -- that proved to be the difference-maker on the night.

Despite being part of the Bengal Warriors�?roster since Pro Kabaddi Season 4, Kumawat has featured only 20 times for the side, and his appearance in the final was just his fourth of the campaign. Kumawat scored the Warriors�?first three points of the night and his performance in the second half was exactly the sort of impact that the team would have expected from the raider.

Woh #VIVOProKabaddi champions wali feeling... #AboutLastNight #VIVOProKabaddiFinal #IsseToughKuchNahi pic.twitter.com/A2CvMnyi2B

�?ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) October 20, 2019

 

“Kumawat has been with us for a few years and is still a young player,�?said Maninder. “He hadn’t played much all year, and the final was his first big chance of the year and he delivered.�?The raider scored six raid points on the night in just eight raid attempts, while also giving away just one tackle point, playing the role of the impact raider to perfection.

Maninder also credited the team’s stellar defensive trio -- Baldev Singh, Rinku Narwal, Jeeva Kumar �?as well as raider Sukesh Hegde for their leadership and play in the final. “They wanted me to pass on instructions from the sidelines, but we had some great and veteran players on the roster. They gave their blood, sweat and tears to the cause and really won it as a team,�?said the skipper. “Baldev, Rinku, Jeeva, Sukesh (Hegde), were all outstanding on the day. They really guided us to victory in what was a great day and a great match.�?/p>

Hegde scored seven raid points, including the final point of the night that sealed the victory, while the defensive trio managed eight tackle points on the night, limiting the impact of Dabang Delhi K.C.’s stellar offence.

The magnificent team effort helped Bengal Warriors win their maiden Pro Kabaddi title and Maninder’s second after his victory with Jaipur Pink Panthers in Season 1, capping off a magnificent campaign for one of the sport’s best players.

Feature image courtesy: Facebook / @BengalWarriors

Over the years, Pro Kabaddi has seen extraordinary raiders pull off incredible raids, going on to single-handedly win matches for their team. Speed, athletism, strength and quick thinking are the essentials of any player who want to make the raiding department their own.

From swift toe touches to powerful frog jumps to crafty hand touches, a raider has to have every arsenal in his bag to get the better of the opponent. In such scenarios, overcoming the 10-point barrier in a single match is quite an impossible task, but some of the most flamboyant raiders in the PKL circuit makes it look like a mere formality.

Here we take a look at the top five players who have garnered the most number of Super 10’s in PKL history ahead of season seven.

Pardeep Narwal (44)

Patna Pirates crown jewel, Pardeep Narwal has risen to greatness courtesy of his unique ability to outsmart opposition defences. He became the first player in league history to acquire 1000 raid points in the ongoing seventh season adding another feather to his cap. Over his illustrious career in PKL, Pardeep has etched his name in history books. With his signature ‘Dubki�? he has successfully completed 44 Super 10s in a mere 85 before entering season seven.

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The Record-Breaker Pardeep Narwal adds another feather in his - becoming the first player to score 1000 points in #VIVOProKabaddi!

Keep watching the #CHEvPAT action, LIVE on Star Sports and Hotstar. #IsseToughKuchNahi pic.twitter.com/zzTz572Utw

�?ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) September 9, 2019

However, his most notable accomplishment came back in the fifth season when he scored 369 raid points and was almost 150 points clear of the second most successful raider of the season.  

Rahul Chaudhari (36)

After a long and successful stint with Telugu Titans, Rahul Chaudhari turned his boat to the shores of Tamil Thalaivas for the seventh season. He is one of the swiftest raiders in the game leading the charge with his ‘running hand touch�?move, leaving no time for the opponent player to react.

The ‘Raid Machine�?completed eight Super 10s in his fifth season equalling his record from the first season in PKL. Till the start of the seventh season, Rahul had 36 Super 10s to his name with that number expected to significantly improve in the ongoing season.

Ajay Thakur (28)

A true leader, Ajay Thakur was the driving force in India’s triumph at the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup. Playing for the Tamil Thalaivas for a third consecutive season, Ajay is known for his ‘Frog Jump�?leaving the defenders in their trail. With his height playing a significant role in his success over the years, the 6ft 1inch also scored a Super 10 in the final of the 2016 World Cup.

Another testament to the legend this Thalaiva is!

Congratulations to Ajay Thakur on being conferred with the prestigious Arjuna Award. pic.twitter.com/ReNmr5ELBc

�?ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) August 29, 2019

With 28 PKL Super 10s to his name, Ajay Thakur is going toe-to-toe with some of the best in the sport. 

Deepak Niwas Hooda (24)

Deepak Niwas Hooda is one of the most versatile all-rounders in the game presently. His most successful campaign was season six where he displayed immense promise as he racked up 208 points to his name.

Deepak has played a pivotal role in saving his teams from tricky situations over the past, with his pace and sturdy defensive abilities being his shield. Till season six, Deepak had 24 Super 10s to his name alongside four High 5s - a remarkable feat.

Maninder Singh (23)

The witty and calculative raider from Bengal Warriors, Maninder Singh has registered 23 Super 10s in only 59 PKL appearances, ahead of season seven. He played an instrumental role in the inaugural season of the league when he took Jaipur Pink Panthers to glory.

Earning 206 raid points for Bengal in season six, Maninder has earned the trust of his coaches and the team owners, the reason he has been made the captain the ongoing season. His role in India’s victory at the Asian Kabaddi Championship in 2017 was also nothing short of exemplary. 

Feature image courtesy: Star Sports & PKL