The Panchkula leg of Pro Kabaddi 2019 is in the history books now as the Haryana Steelers ended their home leg on a high with a resounding victory against the Telugu Titans. The north Indian franchise had a 50 percent win record at the Tau Devilal Sports Complex with 2 wins and 2 losses in the 4 home games.
Though they did not have the perfect home leg, Haryana Steelers secured their place in the playoffs during their home leg, much to the joy of the fans in attendance. Talking about the encounters that took place in Panchkula, the raiders absolutely decimated the defenders as they dominated the proceedings at the Tau Devilal Sports Complex.
The likes of Pawan Sehrawat, Naveen Kumar, Pardeep Narwal and Siddharth Desai entertained the fans in Panchkula and now we will have a look at the top 5 raiders from the aforementioned leg -
#5 Vinay - 25 raid points (Haryana Steelers)
Matches - 4, Raid Points - 25, Average Raid Points/Match - 6.25
The upcoming star of the Haryana Steelers, Vinay kicked off the home leg in style by emerging as the best raider of his team against U.P. Yoddha. He scored 8 raid points in that fixture but, Haryana could not defeat their opponents.
In the next match, he supported the duo of Vikas Kandola and Prashanth Kumar Rai by scoring 4 raid points versus Gujarat Fortune Giants. He maintained the same from against the defending champions, Bengaluru Bulls before signing off from Panchkula with 8 raid points against Telugu Titans.
Interestingly, the defence of the Titans was not able to tackle Vinay even once during the last match of the Panchkula leg.
#4 Vikash Kandola - 34 raid points (Haryana Steelers)
Matches - 4, Raid Points - 34, Average Raid Points/Match - 8.50
The vice-captain of Haryana Steelers, Vikash Kandola showcased his raiding skills on the kabaddi mat of the Tau Devilal Sports Complex by scoring 2 Super 10s in 4 matches. Kandola's heroic performances had helped Haryana register victories in both of those games.
Apart from that, Kandola even scored 5 and 6 raid points against U.P. Yoddha and Bengaluru Bulls, respectively. With the league entering its most crucial phase soon, Haryana Steelers would expect that the youngster continues his fine form.
#3 Naveen Kumar - 34 raid points (Dabang Delhi K.C.)
Matches - 2, Raid Points - 34, Average Raid Points/Match - 17
The pocket dynamite of Dabang Delhi K.C., Naveen Kumar continued his streak of Super 10s in Pro Kabaddi League 2019 by scoring over 10 raid points in both the matches that he played. Though Delhi produced contrasting results in the two games, Kumar ensured that he gives his 100 per cent to the team's cause.
He led his team from the front with 19 raid points in the points fest with Puneri Paltan while his 15 raid points against Bengal Warriors had gone in vain thanks to Maninder Singh's brilliance.
#2 Prashanth Kumar Rai - 36 raid points (Haryana Steelers)
Matches - 4, Raid Points - 36, Average Raid Points/Match - 9
The former Telugu Titans star, Prashanth Kumar Rai proved to be the best player of the Haryana Steelers during the home leg thanks to his 36 raid points. His best performance came against the Bengaluru Bulls where he took 17 raid points albeit in a losing cause.
He had failed to trouble U.P. Yoddha in the home leg opener but he bounced back with 9 raid points against Gujarat Fortune Giants. To end the home leg, Rai scored 4 touchpoints and 3 bonus points versus his former team, Telugu Titans.
#1 Pawan Sehrawat - 53 raid points
Matches - 2, Raid Points - 53, Average Raid Points/Match - 26.5
Ironically, Pawan Sehrawat scored more raid points in the match against Haryana Steelers than the other 4 raiders did during the entire Panchkula leg. He destroyed the defence of the home team with 39 raid points in that match thereby shattering Pardeep Narwal's record of taking the most raid points in a single game.
The High Flier even scored 14 raid points against Jaipur Pink Panthers but the poor performance of his teammates ensured that Jaipur won the match by seven points.
Which player impressed you the most during the Panchkula leg? Share your views in the comments box below.