There is an age-old adage in sports – attackers win you games, but defenders win you titles. It holds true for kabaddi as well, for a good defence is imperative if a team harbours ambitions of being champions.
Titles are won on the basis of a strong backline, as was evident in the fabulous Patna Pirates defence last season as well as U Mumba’s formidable defence back in season 2.
As in most other sports, defenders do the dirty work in kabaddi but they often do not get the credit they deserve. Communication is the key in any defence and the corner defenders are vital cogs with agility and timing being paramount.
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Let’s have a look at the top six defenders of the Pro Kabaddi League.
Surender Nada
High 5s – 10
Tied at the 5th spot are Surender Nada of Haryana and Dharmaraj Cheralathan of Telangana. At 27, Surender is much younger and prefers the left corner of defence. 42-year-old veteran Dharmaraj has bags of experience and is adept at both corners of the defence.
Surender will turn out for the team from his home state, Haryana Steelers, this time around. He has previously played for Bengaluru Bulls in season 4 and U Mumba in season 2 and 3. He has won the gold medal in the 2016 South Asian Games as well.
He has played a total of 49 matches in the Pro Kabaddi League so far in which he has racked up 138 tackle points at an average of 2.82 per game. His successful tackle rate is just over 50% and he has 5 green cards to his name.
Dharmaraj Cheralathan
Dharmaraj, on the other hand, will play for Puneri Paltan in the upcoming season. He was the captain of the Patna Pirates team that won the title last season. He played for Telugu Titans in season 3 and Bengaluru Bulls in season 1 and 2.
In 59 matches played, Dharmaraj has 151 tackle points at an average of 2.56. He has 134 successful tackles out of 258 and has collected 2 green cards.
Sandeep Narwal
High 5s – 13
24-year-old all-rounder Sandeep Narwal hails from Haryana. He will play for Puneri Paltan this time around after having played for Telugu Titans in the previous season. He is a former champion with Patna Pirates in season 3.
Sandeep has won the gold medal in Kabaddi World Cup 2016 as well as 2016 South Asian Games. In 62 matches, he has 161 tackle points at an average of 2.6 per game. His success rate in tackling is over 50% and he has 10 green cards and 2 yellow cards to his name.
Ravinder Pahal
High 5s – 13
26-year-old Ravinder Pahal hails from Haryana and plays in the right corner of defence. He will play for Bengaluru Bulls this time around having played for Puneri Paltan last season and Dabang Delhi in the first three seasons.
He has played a total of 48 matches in PKL in which he has notched up 152 tackle points, averaging 3.17 per game. He has 139 successful tackles out of a total of 290 and has got 7 green cards so far.
Mohit Chhillar
High 5s – 15
23-year-old Mohit Chhillar from New Delhi plays on the right side of the defence. He is a gold medal winner at the Kabaddi World Cup 2016 and the 2016 South Asian Games. He will ply his trade for Haryana Steelers this time around, having previously donned the colours of Bengaluru Bulls in season 4 and U Mumba in the first three seasons.
He has played a total of 57 matches in which he averages 2.98 tackle points per game. He has 170 defence points from 157 successful tackles and has six green cards and one yellow card to his name.
Manjeet Chhillar
High 5s – 16
30-year-old all-rounder from New Delhi, Manjeet Chhillar will turn out for Jaipur Pink Panthers this time around. He has previously played for Puneri Paltan in season 3 and 4 and Bengaluru Bulls in season 1 and 2, captaining both teams. He was adjudged the best defender of season 1 and the most valuable player in season 2.
He has won the gold medal in the 2014 Asian Games as well being part of the World Cup-winning squad in 2016. Chhillar has been conferred the Arjuna Award for his achievements in kabaddi.
Manjeet has played 59 matches and has secured 196 defence points, averaging 3.32 points per game. He has 189 successful tackles from a total of 334 tackles and has received 16 green cards and 2 yellow cards in PKL so far.
