Pro Kabaddi League 2018, Match 17: Bengal Warriors vs Telugu Titans, Player Ratings

Pro Kabaddi League 2018 action resumed after a day's break in the Sonepat Leg of the competition as two undefeated sides, Bengal Warriors and Telugu Titans took to the mat to battle it out at the Motilal Nehru School of Sport Indoor Stadium in Sonepat, Haryana.

Bengal Warriors had faced the Tamil Thalaivas in the Chennai Leg in the first week of the league and emerged victorious with a 36-27 win owing to a strong all-around performance on the mat. Maninder Singh and Ran Singh starred for the Warriors as they started the season on a promising note. Mahesh Goud also contributed well in the raiding unit and managed to score five raiding points. The defence had a standout showing from Ran Singh with four tackle points from the left corner, however, the captain Surjeet Singh and Shrikant Tewathia were also good with their blocks and dashes. The Bengal Warriors hoped to keep the balance well against the Telugu Titans tonight.

Telugu Titans came into this match on the back of two convincing wins over the Tamil Thalaivas and UP Yoddha. Both the matches saw their team contribute as a whole and the team looks a good unit under the new head coach Kilaru Jagmohan. Rahul Chaudhari and Nilesh Salunke have teamed up well to keep the defenders on their toes and work well in tandem. The Iranian all-rounders Farhad Milaghardan and Mohsen Maghsoudlou have performed with great spirit and helped the team out in both raiding and defensive departments. The Titans have a solid defensive combination of captain Vishal Bhardwaj and Iranian powerhouse corner defender Abozar Mighani, both of whom have been deadly with their corner ankle holds for the team.

A low-scoring encounter saw the Bengal Warriors put on good second half performance after being down in the first. Bengal Warriors won the match with a 30-25 scoreline.

Bengal Warriors

Surjeet Singh - (6/10)

The captain played in both the cover and the corner defensive position tonight for the Warriors as the defence struggled to keep the Telugu Titans in check. He did well to handle the defence for the side as they kept the dangerous Rahul Chaudhari in check for the most part of the match.

Ziaur Rehman - (4/10)

The cover defender did not manage to score tackle points for the Warriors but did well with his assists to support the defensive lineup.

Ran Singh - (4/10)

The left corner defender for the Bengal Warriors had an off-day today and only managed to score one tackle point. He will hope

Shrikant Tewathia - (6/10)

The right corner for the Warriors had an eventful match as he was called into action for raiding as well. He managed to get Rahul Chaudhari out with a kick attempt and scored a few tackle points in the second half.

Maninder Singh - (8/10)

The lead raider for the Bengal Warriors had a tough time to get going tonight as he managed just three raid points against the stern Titans' defence. He fought back in the second half as he found success and single-handedly inflicted the all-out on the Titans and completed his Super 10 on the night as well.

Mahesh Goud - (6/10)

The lanky raider was decent for the Warriors in support of Maninder Singh as he was used mostly in do-or-die situations by the team. He managed to get a tackle point to his name with a diving ankle hold in the first half.

Jang Kun Lee - (5/10)

The South Korean raider did well to get a couple of raid points to his name but was caught on a couple of occasions after he delved too deep into the Telugu Titans' backline.

Substitutes:

Rakesh Narwal - (2/10)

The young raider came on as a substitute replacing Jang Kun Lee in the second half as they tweaked a couple of things in the raiding department.

Telugu Titans

Rahul Chaudhari struggled tonight against the Warriors

Vishal Bhardwaj - (6.5/10)

The Telugu Titans captain executed a Super Tackle in the first half at a crucial juncture when he caught the danger man Maninder Singh with a well-timed diving ankle hold from the left corner. He ended the match with a tally of four tackle points.

Anil Kumar - (5/10)

The defender was quiet for a long time helping out the team with his assists from the cover defence position. However, he put in a strong diving tackle on Jang Kun Lee in the second half to get a Super Tackle.

Abozar Mighani - (7/10)

The Iranian defender looked menacing on the right corner and managed to score four tackle points in the first half itself which included a Super Tackle on Mahesh Goud. He finished with another High 5 this season and was the second highest scoring Telugu Titan tonight.

Farhad Milaghardan - (3/10)

The all-rounder did well in the first half as the Titans defence controlled the match but was unable to contribute much in terms of points to the side.

Mohsen Maghsoudlou - (5/10)

The all-rounder was more involved in the raiding unit tonight and managed to score a couple of good touch points for the team.

Rahul Chaudhari - (3/10)

The main raider of the Telugu Titans was kept quiet in the first half as he spent a lot of time on the bench after being caught by the Warriors' defence a lot of times. He looked out of touch and committed some uncharacteristic errors giving away easy tackle points to the Warriors.

Nilesh Salunke - (7/10)

Nilesh Salunke started off quietly in the first half but was successful with his bonus points even managing one in a do-or-die raid situation. He did the bulk of raiding for the team in the prolonged absence of Rahul Chaudhari and scored five raid points in the match.

Substitutes:

Rakshith - (2/10)

The young raider came on as a substitute when both Rahul Chaudhari and Nilesh Salunke were on the bench in the first half.

Sombir - (2/10)

The defender came on during a 1-vs-2 situation against Maninder Singh as the Titans were reduced to two men on the mat.

Manoj Kumar - (3/10)

The raider came on as a substitute in the final minutes of the match and managed to score a good touch point in his first raid this season.