Defending champions, Bengaluru Bulls hosted the Pro Kabaddi League 2019 from 31st August to 6th September. Almost all franchises had failed to capitalize on the home advantage this season. However, Dabang Delhi K.C. reversed the trend by winning all of their 4 home games.
When the PKL caravan came to the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, it seemed like the Bulls will pull off the same performance as Delhi. However, the two-time runners-up Gujarat Fortune Giants defeated them in the first match by 9 points.
The home team then came back strongly with a 6-point win over the Tamil Thalaivas. In the final two matches, they edged the Patna Pirates and Telugu Titans by 1 point and that too with the same 40-39 margin.
Here's how the stars of Bengaluru fared in front of their home fans -
#1 Pawan Kumar Sehrawat - 9/10
Matches - 4, Raid Points - 59, Average Raid Points - 14.75
Pawan Sehrawat started off the Bengaluru leg on a sour note with just 3 raid points. However, he gained momentum with 17 raid points in the next game. He again scored 17 raid points versus Patna Pirates and then made the fans happy with a stellar 22 raid points against Telugu Titans.
Sehrawat's magnificent raiding skills entertained the fans at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium. Besides, he also solidified his position as the best raider of the tournament.
#2 Rohit Kumar - 8/10
Matches - 4, Raid Points - 19, Average Raid Points - 4.75
Though Rohit Kumar was overshadowed by Pawan Sehrawat, he proved to be the best raider of his team in the opening encounter of the home leg. He scored 19 raid points in 4 matches but most importantly, he kept his calm in tough situations to help his team win 2 close matches.
Also, he did a commendable job by motivating the team to do well after the loss in the first match.
#3 Mahender Singh - 8/10
Matches - 4, Tackle Points - 13, Average Tackle Points - 3.25
Mahender Singh scored a High 5 in the home leg to continue to be one of the best defenders for the defending champions this season. Singh scored 13 tackle points in the 4 matches with his best performance coming against Patna Pirates. Also, he scored 4 tackle points versus Gujarat Fortune Giants and his impressive shows have taken him to the 2nd rank on the defenders' leader-board.
#4 Saurabh Nandal - 8/10
Saurabh Nandal scored 8 tackle points against Gujarat Fortune Giants
Matches - 4, Tackle Points - 13, Average Tackle Points - 3.25
If there was one player who impressed the fans on the opening night of the Bengaluru leg, it was Saurabh Nandal. The corner defender scored 8 tackle points versus Gujarat to at least give a fight to Bengaluru's rivals. Though he could not open his account against the Tamil Thalaivas, he bounced back well with 4 points versus Patna Pirates.
All in all, Nandal handled the corner position really well and was one of the cornerstones of the home team's defence.
#5 Amit Sheoran - 5/10
Matches - 4, Tackle Points - 8, Average Tackle Points - 2
Saurabh Nandal's partner, Amit Sheoran scored 8 tackle points in the 4 home matches. He picked up a High 5 against Tamil Thalaivas but apart from that, he could not contribute much to the team's cause.
In the match against Gujarat, he scored 1 point and Sheoran took 2 points in the fixture versus Patna. Unfortunately, he failed to open his account in the match against Telugu Titans.
#6 Mohit Sehrawat - 2/10
Matches - 4, Tackle Points - 3, Average Tackle Points - 0.75
While left cover defender, Mahender Singh was the best defender for the home team, right cover Mohit Sehrawat could not support him well. He could take only 3 tackle points in 4 matches with his best performance coming against Tamil Thalaivas (2 tackle points).
The team management had to swap the seventh player of the team constantly as Sumit Singh, Vijay Kumar and Banty could not perform up to the mark. Since they did not play much, there's no necessity to grade them for their performance in the home leg.