Season 10 of the Pro Kabaddi League [PKL 10] drew to a close with Puneri Paltan rubber-stamping their tag as arguably the League's best team ever by winning their maiden title.
Puneri Paltan became the second team to clinch the PKL trophy after leading the charts at the end of the league stage. They beat Haryana Steelers in the final, who themselves had a fabulous season. The first-time finalists fought off the traditional PKL heavyweights and handed defending champions Jaipur Pink Panthers a thrashing in the semifinals as well.
After 137 matches played across 12 cities over 13 weeks, we assess how each team fared in PKL 10, look at what made them tick (or didn't), and grade them (A+ being highest, F- being lowest).
Bengal Warriors
Grade: D
What worked: The most successful raiding unit in PKL 10. They had the most raid points [504], averaged nearly 23 raid points per game and that nearly carried them into the playoffs. Warriors are the only team to have two raiders - Maninder Singh and Nitin Kumar - in the top-10 standings.
What did not work: Bengal Warriors had the least successful tackles in PKL 10. They scored the lowest tackle points, which is in stark contrast to how good their raiding was.
Best player: Maninder Singh, PKL's Mr. Consistent. He wasn't as good as his previous seasons - finishing three points shy of 200 raid points - but did well to take the side as far as he could. Shubham Shinde was fantastic in defence, while Nitin proved himself as a solid secondary raiding option.
TL;DR: Just not good enough this season. Won just four of their last 10 matches, a poor stat for a team as good as Bengal Warriors.
PKL @10: A gamechanger for the sport, challenge is to build on the success
Bengaluru Bulls
Grade: C
What worked: Not a whole lot: they do not have a single raider or defender in the top 10 of the respective lists.
What did not work: Bengaluru Bulls had the last effective raiding department in PKL 10. They managed just 406 raid points in 22 games, the least among the 12 teams. None of their raiders had any sort of impact this season.
Best player: Surjeet Singh, fresh from winning the Asian Games gold medal, was Bengaluru Bulls' best-performing player this season. He took charge of the team when they were in the doldrums with some sharp defensive performances, one of which saw him scalp eight tackle points against Patna Pirates. Young raider Sushil also gave a good account of himself.
TL;DR: A season they would want to forget.
Dabang Delhi
Grade: A
What worked: This side largely functioned on two factors: Ashu Malik's superb raiding and a young defensive unit led by Yogesh. If not for these two, Dabang Delhi would not have reached the playoffs.
What did not work: Absolute lack of raiding options. Ashu Malik single-handedly scored over 50% of the team's raid points, but no one else chipped in. Here's a stat: Dabang Delhi's second-best raider after Ashu is Naveen Kumar. And he played just six games before getting injured.
Best player: Ashu Malik. Took over captaincy duties after Naveen Kumar's injury and it brought out the best in him. He seamlessly transitioned into the role as he guided his young team, while also letting his raiding do all the talking. He finished PKL 10 as the season's #1 raider.
TL;DR: Did very well to make it to the playoffs despite Naveen's injury. Ashu is a star in the making.
Gujarat Giants
Grade: A
What worked: Options on the bench. Coach Ram Mehar Singh has the advantage of turning to his bench whenever the situation demands it and they have more often than not delivered. It was Sonu Jaglan initially and then Parteek Dahiya, who won games as substitutes before gradually finding a place in the starting seven.
What did not work: Gujarat Giants roped in the Iranian duo of Fazel Atrachali and all-rounder Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh...but they just did not make the kind of impact the team needed. Fazel, as captain, steered his boys into the top-six but as a defender he could have played more aggressively. Nabibakhsh, on the other hand, hardly found form.
Best player: Prateek Dahiya. Wasn't Gujarat Giants' first-choice raider, but did well to earn a place in the starting seven after being on the bench for long periods. He's quick, agile and a great exponent of the running hand touch. Top scored for the team with 141 points.
TL;DR: A good young team with superb bench strength but did not live up to expectations.
PKL @ 10 Awards: Pardeep Narwal, Pawan Sehrawat, Fazel Atrachali, the best of the first decade
Haryana Steelers
Grade: A+
What worked: Everything, pretty much. As is the case with any team coached by Manpreet Singh, defence is supreme. Haryana Steelers are the only team to have three defenders in the top 10 and were the league's second-best defence. They led the charts for most Super Tackles [33] and their raiding squadron was fantastic. It all fell into place for them this season.
What did not work: The lack of a marquee raider hurt them initially as Siddharth Desai did not step up. But Vinay Tewathia and Shivam Patare took on the raiding duties soon enough.
Best player: Vinay Tewathia. His dodging skills are second to none and he has a unique ability to wriggle out of tackles. He has more often than not delivered for Haryana Steelers and was PKL 10's eighth-best raider.
TL;DR: A beautiful underdog story. Stunned defending champions to reach the final, missed out on a maiden title by three points. Their best-ever season to date.
Jaipur Pink Panthers
Grade: A-
What worked: They enjoyed great squad stability by retaining their core from last season. Since the players were already comfortable playing with each other, they were able to hit the ground running and play their best kabaddi.
What did not work: The supporting raiders did not deliver. While Arjun did the bulk of the raiding, the likes of Ajith Kumar and Bhavani Rajput collectively scored 142 points - which is 134 less than Arjun's tally.
Best player: Arjun Deshwal. Finished joint on points with Ashu Malik on the raiding charts. He shouldered the raiding responsibilities smoothly, averaging 12 points per game and bagging the most Super 10s [17].
TL;DR: Had a superb league-stage campaign, were unbeaten for a record 13 games, fell short of their title defence in the semifinal.
Arjun Deshwal - Jaipur Pink Panthers' raider for all seasons
Patna Pirates
Grade: C+
What worked: A fairly well-balanced unit. The raiding and defence units complimented each other and that did the trick for them. The raiding, in particular, was impressive as they amassed 495 points [second-most in PKL 10].
What did not work: They struggled to maintain momentum or seize chances to close out games, which proved to be too costly. Case in point: the semifinal against Puneri Paltan where had a narrow lead and a chance to grab an All Out but failed to.
Best player: Sachin Tanwar. He had a great season as a raider and also as a captain. He bailed his team out of many a tricky do-or-die situation and rotated his squad well. Special mention to Sudhakar M and Sandeep Kumar - two young raiders who showed just what they are capable of doing on the mat.
TL;DR: Could have won their fourth title but lost meekly when it mattered the most.
M Sudhakar ready to be Patna Pirates 2.0's Pardeep Narwal
Puneri Paltan
Grade: A+
What worked: Everything.
What did not work: Hardly anything. Almost everything they touched turned into gold.
Best player: Very hard to pick one because the team as a whole was simply outstanding. But a large portion of their success has to be attributed to their captain Aslam Inamdar. He threw himself on the line, preferred other raiders over himself, doubled up as a defender when needed and ensured good vibes among his team. A superb leader, who deservedly won the MVP of the season award.
TL;DR: The greatest PKL team ever. Period.
Tamil Thalaivas
Grade: D
What has worked: This is a side that is known for their defence and that lived up to the billing. They are second only to Puneri Paltan when it comes to average tackle points [13.41] and were the third-best defensive team in PKL10. The raiders, Narender Kandola and Ajinkya Pawar did well to finish among the top 15 but were just not consistent enough.
What did not work: Something we had written about earlier: their poor strategy in the final few minutes. Their strategies were awry, they did not time their raids properly and improper calculations saw them lose at least three, very winnable, games. That is one of the main reasons they missed out on the playoffs. They also severely lacked consistency.
Best player: Sahil Gulia. The left corner enjoyed a brilliant season and often rescued Tamil Thalaivas from precarious situations. He manned the defence alongside skipper Sagar Rathee and was ranked #7 among defenders.
TL;DR: Good defence, but match strategy (especially last five minutes) needs a thorough re-look. Oh, and they became the first team to score more than 70 points in PKL history.
Telugu Titans
Grade: F-
What worked: Nothing. From team selection [they had 10 PKL debutants in their squad of 18] to strategy and execution, they had little to celebrate about.
What did not work: Everything.
Best player: Pawan Sehrawat. He finished as the third-best raider with 202 points, but that did not change his team's fortunes.
TL;DR: A miserable season for them. Just two wins in 22 games. Third season on the trot where they've finished at the bottom of the table.
UP Yoddhas
Grade: E
What worked: Very little. A weak defence, underperforming raiders...nothing to really rave about this side. An 11th place finish will sting and that should motivate them to do better next time around.
What did not work: The raiding unit was abysmal. Pardeep Narwal, PKL's #1 raider, finished with 122 points...this is a player who has the record of scoring 300+ points across two seasons. Surender Gill's injury only made matters worse.
Best player: Sumit. The left corner was their best performer in PKL 10 and was the 14th-best defender with 61 tackle points. Special mention to young raider Gagana Gowda, who had a brilliant few games at the end. He's one for the future.
TL;DR: For a team of their calibre, finishing with just four wins is criminal. They need to improve on every aspect of their game and pray and hope that Pardeep can find some semblance of form soon.
U Mumba
Grade: B
What worked: Their raiding department worked well, with Guman Singh leading the young brigade. He's ranked #9 this season and had able support from Amirmohammed Zafardanesh. U Mumba had the fourth-best raiding total of the season.
What did not work: The defence left a lot to be desired. U Mumba does not have a single defender ranked in the top 20 and had the third-least tackle points [227]. They have big names in their squad like Mahender Singh, Surinder Singh and Sombir, but lacked that killer instinct.
Best player: Amirmohammed Zafardanesh. The young Iranian was a breath of fresh air with his lightning-quick raids and by the end of it, some mean ankle holds too. He's a great prospect and someone you'd expect to go from strength to strength, especially since he's working with coach Gholamreza Mazandarani.
TL;DR: Looked like serious playoff contenders at one point and then spiralled down to the 10th spot.
Meet Gholamreza Mazandarani: Coach behind Iran's historic Asiad gold joins U Mumba for PKL 10