Kabaddi Awards Show: Who would walk away with the prizes?

The months of February and March see a plethora of award shows in India and abroad. Gala ceremonies all across the globe give away actors, directors, movies and more awards that recognize their contribution to their industry. That got us thinking what it would be like to have an Awards ceremony for sports and specifically at the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi.Season 3 of the tournament has been littered with spectacular matches and splendid individual performances, so it would make sense to have an awards ceremony to celebrate their achievements.On that note, let's take a look at who might win big at the Kabaddi Awards Show:

#9 Lifetime Achievement Award - Anup Kumar

Anup Kumar (2nd from L) won the MVP award in Season 1

No praise is too high for the captain of the Indian national kabaddi team and U Mumba, Anup Kumar. The 32-year-old has been the best player in the history of the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi. In the 3 seasons, Anup has led from the front by scoring a mammoth 291 raid points and 316 points in all.

His leadership has contributed massively to U Mumba's success, as the team has appeared in each of the two finals played so far – while winning the second one. This season too, the defending champions look strong as they attempt to defend their title, and that is mostly down to one man – Anup Kumar.

#8 Best Foreigner Fazel Atrachali

Fazel Atrachali (R)

U Mumba's Iranian import showed his quality last season, but still found himself outside the starting 7. However, with four of U Mumba's stars out on national duty, Fazel grabbed his chance with both hands and has established himself in coach Bhaskaran Edachery's preferred starting line-up.

He has repaid the coach's faith handsomely by having the highest successful tackle percentage this season. The 23-year-old is built like an ox and possesses a mean body block, which has often spelled doom for the opposition raiders.

#7 Best Score Le Panga

The tournament song sung by Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan has a foot-tapping, pleasant beat to it. It also has an unmistakable feeling of power and passion, which makes it perfectly suited to the high-octane action of the league.

After last season's thumping 'Le Panga' track, we all wondered how it could possibly be bettered in the third edition. But Star Sports and Sr. Bachchan delivered duly by toning down the pace and adding melody to it.

Here's the track:

#6 Best Director - Sanjiv Kumar Baliyan (Patna Pirates)

A joyous Patna Pirates camp. [Image credits: Patna Pirates Twitter]

The brains behind the Patna Pirates' run to the semis, Sanjiv Kumar Baliyan wins the award largely due to the tactics he has employed. The Pirates are, arguably, the smartest team in the tournament this season and have on most occasions found a big loophole in their opposition.

Their team manager Kartik Sansanwal explained the strategy in simple words: “We identify one player from the opposing team and keep him out of the mat for as long as possible. It doesn't matter how many points the others accumulate, but our idea is to keep their star out of action.”

This tactic has worked wonders for the Pirates as they were the first team to qualify for the semi-final. It is a common sight to see the opposition team's star player sitting out with his head in his hands, including stars like Manjeet Chhillar, Rahul Chaudhari and Anup Kumar. Mr. Baliyan clearly knows what he's doing!

#5 Best Actor in a supporting role Mohit Chhillar

Mohit Chhillar receiving one of his many best defender of the match awards

U Mumba's young defender Mohit Chhillar has played the second fiddle role to absolute perfection. The 22-year-old has provided his raiders with the ideal platform by being a rock at the back.

Mohit's ankle holds are a sight to behold, and his skills perfectly complement those of his team's defenders – Jeeva Kumar and Fazel Atrachali.

#4 Best Debutant - Rohit Kumar

Rohit Kumar (R) with the Patna Pirates mascot

The Patna Pirates raider has taken to the world's biggest kabaddi league like a duck takes to water. Rohit Kumar is third in the top raiders' list with 88 raid points, and he has put in one storming performance after another to lead the Patna outfit to the knockout stages.

A Super 10 is very difficult for a raider to achieve, but definitely not for the Pirates raider. Using his speed and reach to perfection, scoring in double digits is a regular occurrence for Rohit. We certainly missed him in the first two seasons, but as they say – better late than never.

#3 Best Entertainer - Pardeep Narwal

Patna Pirates’ Pardeep Narwal equalled the record for most points scored in a match by scoring 24 vs Telugu Titans

19-year-old Pardeep Narwal failed to prevent Patna Pirates from falling to their second loss this season, in the team's final league match against Telugu Titans. The team in yellow beat the league leaders 42-41 in Mumbai, but it was one man who stole the limelight.

The Mumbai crowd chanted Pardeep's name throughout the match, and the youngster thrived under the attention. The Pirates raider equaled Kashiling Adake's league record of most points scored by a player in a single match by totaling a humongous 24 points - more than 50% of his team's total. That's entertainment in its purest form!

#2 Best Picture: Dabang Delhi vs Patna Pirates

Patna Pirates put Dabang Delhi to the sword in a blockbuster tie in Delhi

The Patna Pirates came out on top in the most spectacular match this season when they completely annihilated home team Dabang Delhi. With a 67-34 win, they silenced the Thyagaraj Sports Complex and put the Eagles to the sword.

In the raider-friendly match Surjeet Singh and Kashiling Adake put up a good fight, much to the delight of the home crowd, but Rohit Kumar, Sandeep Narwal and young Pardeep Narwal ensured the win for Patna.

This match broke a couple of Pro Kabaddi records as well:

101: Most points scored by two teams combined in a match

67: Most points scored by a team in a match

#1 Best Actor - Manjeet Chhillar

Manjeet Chhilar (R) is a regular feature at the post match awards ceremony

The Puneri Paltan captain swapped the red of Bengaluru Bulls for the Maharashtra outfit ahead of the third season. Manjeet Chhillar has repaid the faith put in him by coach Ashok Shinde by getting the Paltan into the semi-finals for the first time in their history.

Chhillar, the MVP last season, is the leading defender this year and has also guided his troops well right from the start. The 29-year-old holds the key to the Pune-based franchise's fortunes this season; having finished 4th and 2nd respectively in the last two seasons, he will be keen on lifting the title this time around.