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The Bengal Warriors clinched their first-ever Pro Kabaddi title at the EKA Arena by TransStadia at Ahmedabad, as the Mohammad Nabibakhsh-led side clinched a 39-34 win over Dabang Delhi K.C. in the summit clash of Pro Kabaddi 2019.
Having topped the points table with 15 wins from 22 matches, the Warriors earned a direct spot in the semifinals, where they clinched a thrilling 37-35 win against U Mumba to book a spot in the final. Dabang Delhi K.C., who finished second on the table with 14 wins from 22 matches overcame a challenge from the Bengaluru Bulls to clinch a 44-38 win over the defending champions and set up a clash with the Warriors in the finals.
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Throughout the competition, all of the teams tried out a mix of youth and experience which saw quite a few youngsters earning their first shot at making a mark on the mat in their first-ever PKL season.
While youngsters such as Naveen Kumar, Pawan Sehrawat, Nitesh Kumar among others did prove to be big-match players yet again, a few players were coming into the league for the first time, and they had a big impact with their performances.
Here, we take a look at five debutants who had a top season.
#5 Pankaj Mohite (Puneri Paltan)
The Puneri Paltan were dealt an early blow this season, as Nitin Tomar was ruled out of the first few games owing to an injury. In his absence, all-rounder Manjeet was touted to play the role of a lead raider, and he received decent support from Pankaj Mohite, who did well to pick up crucial points in his first season.
Pankaj finished the season with 113 points from 16 matches at an average of a little over 7 points per match and a fantastic not out percentage of 77.77%. Given that Pankaj played more of a supporting raider role, he was often given the responsibility of going in for crucial raids, which saw him finish with a strike rate of 53.14%.
Having also picked up three Super 10s in the second half of the season, Pankaj did eventually pick up the pace, but it proved a little too late as the Puneri Paltan were knocked out of the competition in the group stages.
#4 V Ajith Kumar (Tamil Thalaivas)
In a team boasting of quality names such as Ajay Thakur, Rahul Chaudhari among others, outperforming the experienced names is always an arduous task. However, for V Ajith Kumar, his pace and ability to pick up points consistently helped him cement his spot in the Tamil Thalaivas side.
With Ajay Thakur missing a majority of the tournament, Ajith Kumar was handed an opportunity to impress with his skill, and he did not disappoint. He finished with 121 points from 19 matches at an average of 6.36 raid points per game, and his strike rate of 55.76% was more than that of Rahul Chaudhari's (40%), that only went on to add more emphasis on his ability to do well even under pressure.
#3 Vinay (Haryana Steelers)
One of the Haryana Steelers' finds of the tournament, young raider Vinay had a tremendous season on the raiding front as he played the role of a support raider to perfection throughout. Be it as a support raider for Vikash Kandola or Prashanth Rai, Vinay did not shy away from giving his best on the mat and that feature helped him notch up 129 points from 23 matches.
Such was the consistency shown by Vinay since the first match of the season that he was rewarded with a spot in the starting 7 for every game that the Steelers played this season, and he also finished with three Super 10s, including a memorable 14-point effort against the Bengal Warriors.
Having finished the season as the Steelers' second-best raider, it would not be a surprise if he is handed a lot more of the raiding duties in the next edition.
#2 Sumit (U.P. Yoddha)
The U.P. Yoddha franchise is known for unearthing some of the best talents in Indian kabaddi, and this was on display yet again this season as young Sumit, drafted into the squad from the NYP program put on a fine display from the left corner, finishing with a fabulous total of 77 tackle points from just 22 matches.
Combining with skipper Nitesh Kumar, Sumit was a force to reckon with all throughout the season, as his fearless tackles and holds brought about some crucial points for his side. Sumit picked up seven High 5s from this season, and even out-scored his captain, shining more light on his magnificent debut season in the PKL.
#1 Mohammad Nabibakhsh (Bengal Warriors)
Drafted into the Bengal Warriors squad for a huge sum of money, the onus was on Iranian all-rounder Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh to deliver, and he did, scoring an all-important 10 points in the grand finale to outline a maiden a title win for the Bengal Warriors.
However, it was not only in the final did Nabibakhsh impress, as he was on song all throughout the competition, finishing with a total of 122 points from 23 matches. Nabibakhsh was an imperative member of the Warriors side as he accumulated 92 raid points apart from 65 tackle points, including a High 5 against the Bengaluru Bulls at Kolkata.
Yet, his most striking feature all through the season was his impact as captain, and in the absence of Maninder Singh owing to an injury, Nabibakhsh led his side to a win in the semifinal and then a long-awaited title win.
