Top 5 performances by MVP Rohit Kumar in Star Sports Pro Kabaddi Season 3

Patna Pirates raider Rohit Kumar was, without a doubt, the best player in the recently-concluded Season 3 of the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi league (PKL), and to nobody's surprise he was adjudged the Most Valuable Player (MVP). With a mature head on his young shoulders, Rohit played well beyond his age and had a major role in the eventual champions 12 victories this season.He made his PKL debut this year and has already scored a staggering 109 points, out of which 102 came through his fiery raids. Heres a look back at the five most impressive performances from Rohit Kumar in PKL3:

#1 16 points against Dabang Delhi in Delhi

Rohit Kumar attempting a scorpion kick against Dabang Delhi

This was a match where several records tumbled as Patna Pirates notched up the highest ever PKL score of 67 against the bottom-placed Dabang Delhi, much to the dismay of the home crowd at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex. The architect of Patna’s stupendous display was definitely the man-of-the-season, Rohit Kumar, who registered a whopping 16 points in that contest.

Rohit led the Pirates in the absence of their usual skipper Manpreet Singh and played the role of an inspiring leader to the T. He was ably supported by the team’s other star raider, Pardeep Narwal, who scooped up 7 raid points. The ruthless aggression from Rohit and Pardeep, coupled with the robust tackling from Sandeep Narwal, helped effect as many as five all-outs on the Eagles to end the match 67-34 in their favour.

#2 14 points against Jaipur Pink Panthers in Jaipur

Rohit Kumar returns to his half successfully against Jaipur Pink Panthers

Rohit Kumar sizzled as the Patna Pirates humiliated former PKL champions and hosts Jaipur Pink Panthers with a lopsided score of 47-24 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. The Panthers had no answer to the fast and furious raids coming from Rohit & Co. and they suffered an all-out as early as the sixth minute.

Three more all-outs followed through the relentless attacking raids by Rohit, who lapped up a total of 14 points and was the undisputed standout performer of the day. The big win secured the-then league-leaders Patna’s semifinal berth with two more legs still to go.

#3 12 points against U Mumba in Patna

Rohit Kumar had the U Mumba on their toes every time he went for a raid

On a rare day when the Patna Pirates failed to click as a team, Rohit Kumar’s monstrous late surge almost snatched the game from Season 2 winners U Mumba.

After Patna trailed the Anup Kumar-led team 9-23 at half-time, coach Sanjiv Kumar Baliyan summoned Rohit to the fore and the raider ensured that the Mumbai franchise had to work hard for the victory. With a thunderous show, Rohit single-handedly reduced the deficit of 14 points to just seven. During his magical spell he inflicted two super raids and an all-out on the Mumbai unit, which looked highly improbable at the break. Rohit eventually made it a six-point game and, in the process, picked up a staggering 12 points.

None of the other Pirates members managed to reach even four points on the scoreboard, which emphasizes further how impactful Rohit was in the match. He ultimately could not save his side from crashing to their first defeat (28-34) of the season after an impressive 10-match unbeaten streak, but there was no doubt that Rohit gave his all that night.

#4 13 points against Bengaluru Bulls in Patna

Rohit Kumar during one of his successful raids vs Bengaluru Bulls

Channeling his vibrant energy in the match against Bengaluru Bulls at home, Rohit Kumar helped turn around a nine-point deficit at half-time to bring home his team’s ninth PKL victory on the trot.

Patna were totally under the gun in the first half as the brilliant strategy of the Bulls’ skipper Surjeet Narwal helped disorient the opposition defenders. It was only in the second half that Sanjiv Kumar Baliyan’s men came alive, buoyed by the vociferous shouts from the spectators at the Patliputra Sports Complex.

The Pirates regrouped in fine fashion, to say the least. Rohit started the damage control with some breathtaking offense, which saw the Patna franchise go on a run of 15 consecutive points. The Bulls were left shell-shocked by Rohit’s spree of clever running hand touches and his ability to find the mid-line almost every time he entered the opponents’ box.

Rohit picked up 7 points during that stretch and amassed a total of 13 points in the match, which was vital for a 36-32 Patna win.

#5 11 points against Bengal Warriors in Kolkata

Rohit Kumar in action against Bengal Warriors

With 11 points in his kitty, this was the first match of PKL3 where Rohit Kumar touched double digit points. It was a tough encounter for the Pirates as they were locked in a tense battle with the Bengal Warriors and were even trailing the hosts 16-17 at half-time.

The powerful raids of Bengal’s Nitin Tomar and Jang Kun Lee wreaked havoc on the visitors at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Indoor Stadium. But Rohit Kumar’s audacious offense and his brilliant application delivered a close 36-31 win to the Pirates in the end.

The second half of the match moved at a very fast pace as Rohit engineered an all-out of the home team, which helped Patna seize the lead from the Warriors. With their confidence soaring, the Pirates raced away to a 31-23 lead in a matter of just a few minutes.

Even though Tomar fought back superbly, Rohit held his nerve to score in the buzzer raid and give Patna the triumph in a dramatic finish.