5 best defensive units in season 3 of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League

It is said defence wins you championships while attack wins you games. This saying couldn't be more true for the game of Kabaddi. Even the most rampant of raiders needs a solid defensive unit behind him to turn his contributions into a winning one. Season three of the Pro Kabaddi league is a testimony to this fact as the best four defenses in the league made it to the semi-finals of the competition. The Telugu Titans and Dabang Delhi had great raiders but a disjointed defensive unit led to their early demise from the competition.Just like the Actibonds in Castrol Activ work like a complete unit and protect the engine from wear and tear even after the engine is turned off, the defence works best when all members pull their weight equally.Here, we take a look back at the top five defensive units in Pro Kabaddi League season three -

#5 Telugu Titans (101 successful tackles)

The defense was quite clearly Telugu Titans' Achilles heel last season and the Titans looked determined to put it right.

The signing of the experienced Dharmaraj Cheralathan and Manoj Kumar in defense looked to have added the much needed solidity to that defense, but inconsistent performances meant the Titans failed to rech the semi-finals. On their day though, the combination between Cheralathan, Manoj Kumar and Iranian Meraj Sheykh looked quite ominous for the opposition.

#4 Bengal Warriors (137 successful tackles)

Bengal Warriors were another team known for their great defensive abilities. Led by the impeccable Nilesh Shinde, the Warriors found a strong left corner in Girish Ernak as the youngster truly came into his own this season.

With Bajirao Hodage playing in the cover position, Bengal surged to the top of the league very early in the season. The injury to Ernak however, upset that combination and the Bengal Warriors had to be content with the fourth position.

#3 U Mumba (163 successful tackles)

Coming into the season as defending champions, the envious defense of U Mumba was strengthened even further with the arrival of former India skipper Rakesh Kumar.

However, the combination looked jaded at the start of the tournament and they made a change that saw Fazel Atrachali take the place of Surender Nada in U Mumba's defense. The entry of the Iranian transformed the defense into a cohesive unit as Jeeva Kumar and Mohit Chhillar came into their own.

A defense that looked unforgiving for most parts of the tournament gave way in the first half of the final and cost them their title. But there is no doubt that the U Mumba defense will be back stronger next term.

#2 Puneri Paltan (174 successful tackles)

With just one successful tackle less than the eventual champions, the Puneri Paltan made a huge recovery in terms of their defensive units. By far the worst defensive team in the league last season, the Paltan underwent an overhaul that saw the likes of Manjeet Chhillar, Ajay Thakur, Surjeet, Jasmer Singh Gulia and Deepak Niwas Hooda come into the team.

Manjeet Chhillar was again a rock in the Puneri Paltan defense as he topped the charts for most successful tackles and tackle points in the league. The addition of the experience of Jasmer Gulia and Surjeet from Services made Puneri Paltan one of the best defensive sides in the league.

#1 Patna Pirates (175 successful tackles)

The best defense in the league belongs to the new champions of the Pro Kabaddi League, the Patna Pirates. Led by the inspirational Sandeep Narwal and well supported by the likes of Sunil Kumar, D. Suresh Kumar, Hadi Oshtorak and Vinod Kumar at different stages of the league, the Pirates forged a lethal defensive unit.

Skipper Manpreet Singh brought all his experience to the table and that helped galvanize the Patna Pirates defense