Pro Kabaddi League 2018 Season 6, Match 8: Tamil Thalaivas vs Bengaluru Bulls Player Ratings

A stunning display of top-flight raiding from young Pawan Sehrawat grabbed the spotlight on the day with twenty raid points as the Bengaluru Bulls decimated the Tamil Thalaivas 48-37 to get their campaign off to a perfect start at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai.

Right from the get-go, the young raider, for whose services the Bulls broke the bank was on the money as he picked four points from his first four raids. Even as Ajay Thakur chipped away with points of his own, Pawan looked unperturbed and put up an exhilarating show as the Thalaivas' defence was sent on a leather hunt.

In the first half, Sehrawat outclassed the Thalaivas' defence as he picked two super raids including a herculean five-point raid as the Bulls went into the break with a mountain of confidence behind them.

Unfortunately for the youngster, he picked up an injury early in the second half and although he limped off to a standing ovation, the Bulls were always in the hunt through Kashiling Adake (9 points), Ashish Kumar (7 points) and Mahender Singh (3 points).

While Rohit Kumar surprisingly came in only for two raids throughout the game, his opposite number Ajay Thakur was in his element right throughout the game as he picked 20 points from 25 raids while the only other meaningful contribution was from Athul MS, who continued to impress with 8 points.

On a day when the Bulls raiders ran riot, the Thalaivas, who started without Jasvir Singh in their line-up seemed to have hit the snooze button very early in the competition, that has only dented their campaign with three losses now from their four games at home.

Here are the player ratings from the encounter.

Tamil Thalaivas

Thakur's form was one of the only bright spots in the match for the Thalaivas.

Ajay Thakur - 9/10

The skipper of the squad, Ajay enjoyed a terrific game on a personal level as he finished with 20 points to his credit but unfortunately, could not marshal his troops to give his team an upper hand over the Bulls.

Athul MS - 7/10

The Keralite was picked ahead of the veteran in Jasvir Singh and it made a bit of a difference as Athul did manage to pick eight points but his errors on the defence front proved costly for the Thalaivas.

Manjeet Chhillar - 5/10

The most vocal of the players on the mat, Manjeet had an off-day, marked by the fact that he was substituted in the second half. While he did contribute in bringing down the likes of Kashi and Pawan on a few occasions, his adamant call to take a review at an early stage in the game was a huge mistake.

Vimal Raj V - 4/10

Starting ahead of Jasvir Singh, Vimal had only one top moment when he came out successful in a DO OR DIE raid apart from which, he had nothing to speak of.

Ponparthiban Subramanian - 2/10

The local lad had an awful start to his PKL career as he was the main target for Pawan Kumar, who tagged the defender in three straight raids, prompting a substitution from the Thalaivas.

C Arun - 3/10

Arun's only contribution to the game was his support in a couple of tackles, which did not help the Thalaivas' cause as they failed to keep the Bulls' raiders in check.

Amit Hooda - 1/10

One of the most experienced defenders in the side, Amit Hooda had one of the worst games in his PKL career as he failed to notch up a single tackle point and on the contrary gifted easy points to the Bulls.

Substitutes

Darshan J - 3/10

Darshan fell out of favour after his dismal show in the previous matches and he came on only as a substitute, but even then failed to make an impact, going in for one too many advance tackles.

Sunil - 3/10

The experienced left corner defender came in during the second half in place of Manjeet Chhillar and was only involved in one successful tackle.

Bengaluru Bulls

Pawan finished with 20 points, his best ever performance in the history of the PKL.

Pawan Kumar Sehrawat - 10/10

Assumed to be playing the role of a tertiary raider behind Rohit Kumar and Kashiling Adake, Pawan was thrust with the responsibility of starting the game for the Bulls which he did which perfection, picking four points from four raids. Soon, he was fully into his element as he went on to complete a massive five-point raid and another three-point raid, to stamp his dominance early in the league.

Kashiling Adake - 8/10

The towering raider was the Bulls' lead raider in the second half and he did commendably well, keeping the Bulls' lead with some timely raid points and finished with nine points in his debut with the Bulls.

Rohit Kumar - 7/10

For someone who hardly had a role to play in the game, it is indeed hard to applaud them but Rohit Kumar ensured that every member of his team had their say in the game and irrespective of his stature/injury he picked, Rohit marshalled his troops to perfection.

Ashish Kumar Sangwan - 7/10

Ashish Sangwan was in top form right throughout the game as he managed to bring down the likes of Thakur and Athul MS down with ease. With seven tackle points from eight tackles, Ashish also finished as the best defender of the day.

Mahender Singh - 6/10

The Bulldozer enjoyed his best moment of the day when he pulled off a 'Super tackle' on Ajay Thakur will a solo tackle apart from his dash on Athul MS. However, Mahender's aggression also slightly went against him through unsuccessful tackles.

Jawahar Vivek K - 4/10

Jawahar Vivek, who started on the left corner was a pale shadow of himself as he failed to collect a single point and instead gave away points to the opposition.

Jasmer Singh Gulia - 2/10

One of the most experienced players in the team, Jasmer Gulia started off on the right foot with a perfect block on Ajay Thakur in the opening raid but soon slacked off as he was often made the target by Ajay Thakur.