Pro Kabaddi League 2017 Season 5: Top 5 defenders from Ahmedabad leg

Two nail biting contests on Thursday brought the curtains down on another fine week of Pro Kabaddi League that had all the right ingredients to keep the viewers interested. There were dramatic ties as well as a few cases of so near yet so far and some dominant performances as well.

The Gujarat Fortunegiants sucked all the advantage they could have out of home crowd support to romp their way to five consecutive wins to climb to a position on the leaderboard from where it will take something special to pull them down anytime soon. The success of the team was majorly built on the good work of their defensive unit and it once again underlined how much can be achieved in this tournament with a formidable defence.

The five defenders who displayed some impeccable discipline and were rewarded for it in the Ahmedabad leg are:

#5 Sandeep Narwal

Maninder Singh feels the full force of a Sandeep Narwal tackle

Narwal not only possesses the attitude of a bull but also the block of one. While he has made waves with his raiding more often than not this season, his defence hasn’t been far behind. He was amazingly effective with the latter in his team’s match against Bengal Warriors where he made life on the mat difficult for the likes of Jang Kun Lee and Maninder Singh, both stalwarts of PKL in their own right.

The raw power in his shoulders is enough to send any raider packing once he finds Narwal on his way back and that’s what he exhibited repeatedly in the game against the Warriors in which he finished with four tackle points and three touch points. Puneri Paltan should consider themselves extremely lucky team to have the services of an all rounder as good as Narwal.

#4 Amit Hooda

Amit Hooda finally came into his own for the Tamil Thalaivas

At the beginning of Season 5, the 21-year-old Amit Hooda found himself with a huge responsibility on his shoulders, that of leading the young Tamil Thalaivas defence. Despite being one of the youngest in the teams, Hooda had some much vaunted Pro Kabaddi experience under his belt which convinced the management of his role in the team.

One has to see him in action for the new franchise to understand how much he has grown as a player with the responsibility. Hooda began with a few nerves initially to start the season but as it hit the Ahmedabad leg, he has picked his game up. And the results are in front of everyone to see.

He shone brightly in both the matches in the Ahmedabad leg and earned a well deserved 10 points for himself with his tackles.

#3 Surender Nada

Surender Nada lead the formidable defence for the Haryana Steelers

Surender Nada, the captain might not have fared as well as his team would have liked in Season 5 but Surender Nada, the defender has never looked better. The swagger is back and so are the thigh and ankle holds from his favourite left corner position. To put things in perspective, Nada had as many points as Abozar Mighani from just half the matches before Bengal Warriors match against Gujarat Fortunegiants.

Nada has received Mohit Chhillar’s support too and has on many occasions raced away to a High Five even before the half time whistle.

What makes Nada’s effort special is the consistency with which he has delivered till now. Ravinder Pahal, another defender with a reputation to defend, has shown signs of brilliance this season but they have also been punctuated by moments of sloppiness. Nada, on the other hand, has been smart and nifty throughout till now.

If the team’s raiding department can replicate Nada’s consistency in their game, they can prove to be the team to beat.

#2 Fazel Atrachali

Atrachali has been happy to play second fiddle to Mighani

If Mighani’s ankle hold and the subsequent roar like laughter have intimidated oppositions, the other Iranian in the Fortunegiants' ranks has chosen to kill them with his charming smile. Atrachali might not boast of as many tackle points as the other Iranian in the team but no one can dispute the fact that his dashes from left cover have contributed greatly to Mighani’s success.

They have done an excellent job together for their franchise and set the Arena on fire with some incredible defending throughout. What sets this pair apart from the others in Pro Kabaddi is when they tackle, they don’t tackle to gain points merely. Instead, they believe in crushing the raider and his team as well with the impact.

Besides, Atrachali hasn’t been any weakling himself in the left cover position that he guards dearly, bringing down raiders on his own with fair regularity and mercilessly. The teams have a huge task in front of them on how to overcome being tackled by this pair.

For Fortunegiants, the key would be to ensure Atrachali and Mighani are fit throughout the tournament.

#1 Abozar Mighani

Abozar Mighani has been phenomenal in his right corner position for the Fortunegiants

The most common sight of the Ahmedabad leg would pan out this way – first Abozar Mighani will gauge the raider from his right corner position like a lion waiting for his prey. Seeing him vulnerable, he would then unleash his might and bring him down with a deadly ankle hold. As the raider would struggle to retreat, Fazel Atrachali from left cover will rush to snuff out all hopes of the raider with a deadly dash.

All this only served as a prelude to what would become the moment of the Ahmedabad leg as Mighani would let out a celebratory laugh that resembles more of a roar.

The big Iranian has completely owned this leg of Season 5 and the statistics tell the story. If the statistics don’t convince you, then the team’s performance would which has been outstanding once the Iranian duo has come into their own for them.