The Pro Kabaddi League Season 5 is into its sixth week and as we approach the halfway mark, there have been a number of excellent individual performances that have stood out. But on Tuesday, Pardeep Narwal came into his own against a depleted Jaipur Pink Panthers side to produce arguably the best solo show by any player this season.
With his team coming off the back of a few disappointing results, the youngster stepped up to the plate and took charge, producing an extraordinary show that left the opposition defence devastated. He scored a mammoth 21 raid points in the match in just 22 raids, a strike rate of 95% that defies expectation.
The Jaipur defence had absolutely no answer to his raids as Narwal made merry and finished with the highest individual point haul in a single game this season, a record which not surprisingly, was held by Narwal himself prior to this. He started the match with a total of 94 raid points this season in just eight games and as a result of today's show. he also becomes the first player to cross the 100-point barrier, taking his tally to 115 in nine matches.
The next name behind him on the charts is Rahul Chaudhari, who has a total of 85 points and has taken three more matches than Pardeep to do so. The Pirates skipper also becomes the joint-fastest player to reach 100 points in a season, a record he shares with Chaudhari, who also achieved the same in nine matches in Season 1.
Pardeep also has many other records to his name, which only add to his status as the league's best raider. He shares the record for the most points in a single match with Kashiling Adake, after his 24-point haul against Dabang Delhi in Season 3. He is also the youngest captain in the PKL at just 20 years of age. Additionally, he also is the fastest player to reach 50 points in a season, a mark he set a few weeks back in Season 5 itself.
The Pirates now move to second place in the Zone B standings, with 33 points in nine matches.
Also read: Pro Kabaddi League 2017 Season 5: 5 best bargain buys so far