Pro Kabaddi 2019: Top 5 raiders from the Jaipur leg

The Jaipur leg of Pro Kabaddi League 2019 came to an end on Friday as the action has moved to Panchkula. Jaipur Pink Panthers could register only one win in front of their home fans as they had a win percentage of only 25.

Bengal Warriors and Dabang Delhi K.C. secured their respective playoff berths during the Jaipur leg whereas Tamil Thalaivas became the first team to be eliminated from the tournament.

The fans at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium witnessed a lot of thrilling encounters as the star players played to their full potential. The raiders ruled the roost in Jaipur as they scored most of the points on the mat.

Here are the top 5 raiders from the Jaipur leg of Pro Kabaddi League 2019 -

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#5 Nilesh Salunke - 27 raid points

Nilesh Salunke finally returned to form

Matches - 3, Raid Points - 27, Average Raid Points/Match - 9

The Jaipur Pink Panthers found a new hero in Nilesh Salunke during their home leg as the former Telugu Titans star supported Deepak Hooda to perfection. He did not feature in the first match, however, his rich haul of 15 raid points in the second match almost snatched victory from the jaws of defeat for Jaipur.

In the third match, Salunke got proper support of Deepak Narwal and Deepak Hooda as the trio’s magnificent performance helped Jaipur Pink Panthers win their only match of the home leg.

Playing against his former team in the final match, Salunke struggled to take touch points, but he still ended the match with 5 raid points to his name.

Undoubtedly, Nilesh Salunke’s return to form was the biggest positive for Jaipur.

#4 Deepak Hooda - 36 raid points

Deepak Hooda led his side from the front

Matches - 4, Raid Points - 36, Average Raid Points/Match - 9

The captain of Jaipur Pink Panthers, Deepak Hooda led his team from the front with 36 raid points in the home leg. He registered 2 Super 10s in four matches and was the best raider of the team in the opening home match against Gujarat Fortune Giants.

Of his 36 raid points, 10 came via bonus and the remaining 26 came through touch points. With the tournament entering its business end, expect Hooda to bring his 'A' game to the table.

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#3 Maninder Singh - 36 raid points

Maninder Singh pulled off his career-best performance against Jaipur Pink Panthers

Matches - 2, Raid Points - 36, Average Raid Points/Match - 18

The skipper of Bengal Warriors ensured that Abhishek Bachchan and Co. continue to regret their decision of releasing him from their franchise. Once a part of the Jaipur side, Maninder Singh took 36 raid points in just 2 matches while playing in the Pink City.

He scored 19 raid points against the home team to record his best performance in PKL history while Singh collected 17 raid points versus Telugu Titans.

#2 Pardeep Narwal - 36 raid points

Unfortunately, Patna Pirates did not win a single match in Jaipur

Matches - 2, Raid Points - 36, Average Raid Points/Match - 18

Pardeep Narwal regained the pole position on the raiders' leaderboard with some unbelievable performances in the Jaipur leg. He first took 17 raid points in the match against Haryana Steelers and then continued his fine form to score 19 raid points versus Dabang Delhi K.C.

Despite Narwal's best efforts, the Pirates could not win a single match during the Jaipur leg as the skipper's heroics went in vain.

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#1 Siddharth Desai - 37 raid points

Siddharth Desai destroyed Jaipur Pink Panthers on the final night

Matches - 2, Raid Points - 37, Average Raid Points/Match - 18.5

Telugu Titans’ marquee raider, Siddharth Desai silenced all his critics with his match-winning performance in the final match of the Jaipur leg. Desai scored 22 raid points during the match to help Telugu Titans register their biggest win of Season 7.

Earlier in the leg, he had taken 15 raid points versus Bengal Warriors but his team lost the match by one point.

When the Jaipur leg began, nobody would have expected Desai to top the raiders’ list and Pawan Sehrawat and Naveen Kumar to not even feature in the top 5 list. Thus, it can be said that there is no other sport so unpredictable as kabaddi.