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Pro Kabaddi 2021 began last Wednesday in Bengaluru. The first week of the tournament ended last night with a thrilling draw between Gujarat Giants and UP Yoddha.
The second week's action will begin tonight with a double-header. In the first match of the night, fans will witness a rematch of the inaugural Pro Kabaddi League final as Jaipur Pink Panthers will battle U Mumba. The second match will feature home team Bengaluru Bulls against Haryana Steelers.
There were some spectacular performances from players of all 12 Pro Kabdaddi teams in the first week of PKL 2021. Here's a look at the best playing 7 of the week.
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Left Corner - Surender Nada, Haryana Steelers
Ankle hold specialist Surender Nada returned to the Pro Kabaddi League in style by scoring 12 tackle points in his first three matches. Nada has been a vital cog in the Haryana Steelers defense. At the moment, Nada holds the top position on the defenders' leaderboard.
The ninth day of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) season 8 was action-packed as fans were treated to two action-packed contests, albeit quite one-sided. To start off proceedings, the El Clasico of PKL was on offer with U Mumba taking on the Jaipur Pink Panthers. The Bengaluru Bulls squared off against the Haryana Steelers in the second Pro Kabaddi 2021 contest of the day.
U Mumba secured quite an emphatic 37-28 win over their arch-rivals as the Mumbai franchise got back to winning ways. The Jaipur outfit's inability to secure points in defense coupled with inadequate support for Arjun Deshwal were two of the biggest factors that resulted in their loss.
U Mumba will be pleased with the performance of their raiders, especially Abhishek Singh, who returned to form with a Super 10 to his name. V Ajith Kumar continued his purple patch in the tournament as he garnered 11 points. Their defense is back to their formidable self and they will look to keep the winning momentum going in their next fixture.
The Haryana Steelers failed to contain 'Hi-Flyer' Pawan Sehrawat's Bengaluru Bulls in the second game of the day as the latter cruised to a comfortable 42-28 win over the Steelers.
The Bengaluru Bulls' defense was in red-hot form as they collected an astounding 11 points in the second half itself as compared to the Steelers' 9 tackle points over the course of the entire match.
The Steelers, known for their defense, had a terrible outing as not only were they unable to keep Sehrawat quiet but also failed to get points through raids. The Bulls skipper notched up another massive Super 10, collecting 22 points in the game, which included 3 tackle points as well.
PKL 2021 Standings
With wins in their respective games, U Mumba and Bengaluru Bulls break into the top half of the table. While the Bulls now occupy second position with three wins to their name, the side from Mumbai stand third with two wins and one tied encounter, with a strong Score Difference of 21.
The Pink Panthers, after suffering a massive loss, dropped down to seventh spot as their Score Difference took a hit. Similarly, the Steelers now have one of the worst Score Differences among the Pro Kabaddi teams and continue to be placed ninth.
Day ten will present an opportunity for Puneri Paltan to make their way upwards in the Pro Kabaddi points table as they lock horns with Tamil Thalaivas. The Pirates and the Warriors will battle it out in the second contest of the day in a bid to rise to the top-two.
Click here for the Pro Kabaddi results.
Left In - Naveen Kumar, Dabang Delhi KC
Naveen Kumar was the best raider in the first week of Pro Kabaddi 2021. The Dabang Delhi KC star amassed 66 raid points in four matches. He recorded a career-best 24 points against the Bengal Warriors last night.
Left Cover - Jaideep Dahiya, Haryana Steelers
Jaideep Dahiya was the first player to register two High 5s in the Pro Kabaddi League 2021. The left cover defender has scored 11 tackle points for the Haryana Steelers in three games so far. Haryana Steelers fans will hope that he continues his excellent form in the upcoming games.
Center - Maninder Singh, Bengal Warriors
Captain Maninder Singh led the Bengal Warriors from the front in the first week of Pro Kabaddi 2021. The Bengal skipper scored 48 raid points in four matches, including a 16-point haul against Dabang Delhi KC. Despite Singh's fantastic performances, Bengal could win only two of their four games in the first week.
Right Cover - PO Surjeet Singh, Tamil Thalaivas
Tamil Thalaivas captain Surjeet Singh performed brilliantly in the team's defensive unit during the first week. Playing in the right cover position, Singh scored 10 tackle points in three matches, but his team is yet to win a game in the new season so far.
Right In - Rakesh Narwal, Gujarat Giants
Rakesh Narwal was the top raider for two-time finalists Gujarat Giants in the first week of Pro Kabaddi 2021. Not many expected Rakesh to set the stage on fire in PKL 8, but he has scored 40 raid points so far, including two Super 10s. In last night's battle between UP Yoddha and Gujarat Giants, Rakesh outshone Pardeep Narwal with his raiding skills.
Right Corner - Sombir, Puneri Paltan
Puneri Paltan have struggled in Pro Kabaddi 2021 so far, but the team's right corner defender Sombir has had a good tournament. Sombir has earned eight tackle points from three games. It will be interesting to see if he can help his team win their first game in the second week.
