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The sixth edition of the Pro Kabaddi League 2018 saw the finish of the Chennai Leg of the competition as the teams battled it out on the mat at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
The host side Tamil Thalaivas sounded off the home leg in great authority when they beat the defending three-time Pro Kabaddi League champions Patna Pirates on the opening day of the competition in a good all-around show led by the captain Ajay Thakur. However, as the home leg continued on, the Thalaivas found it tough to get going and ended up losing four matches on the trot against the UP Yoddha, Telugu Titans, Bengaluru Bulls, and the Bengal Warriors.
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U Mumba and Puneri Paltan played out a drawn match in an exciting Maharashtra Derby and there was another tied game when the Dabang Delhi KC side drew with last year's finalists Gujarat Fortunegiants on the third day of the competition.
Puneri Paltan won their second match against the Haryana Steelers with a convincing win after Nitin Tomar's heroics on the mat. Their state rivals, U Mumba also added a victory to their bag when they defeated the Jaipur Pink Panthers side who were led by their former skipper Anup Kumar.
UP Yoddha had a mixed bag of results as they lost out on the final day against the Patna Pirates after winning against the Tamil Thalaivas earlier in the season. Their raiding trio of Rishank Devadiga, Shrikant Jadhav and Prashant Kumar Rai showed a lot of promise and will hope to aspire for good results as the season progresses.
With the end of the thrilling action from southern India in Chennai, the carnival now moves on to the North with Sonepat, Haryana hosting the next leg.
With so much action going on the mat, the defenders had a lot to do on the mat. We take a look at the top five defenders from the Chennai leg:
#5 Manjeet Chillar - Tamil Thalaivas
One of the most experienced defenders in the Pro Kabaddi League, Manjeet Chillar joined the Tamil Thalaivas for this season, reuniting with former teammates Ajay Thakur and Jasvir Singh.
Manjeet's experience and leadership on the mat were important for the Thalaivas as they put on a strong performance against the Patna Pirates in the opening match. Manjeet manned the left corner position for the side and managed to score 16 tackle points in five matches. He will hope to deliver a better performance from the upcoming matches as the leg saw his performance deteriorate after starting out strong.
Tackle Points - 16 Points from 5 matches (3.2 points per match)
#4 Amit Hooda - Tamil Thalaivas
Amit Hooda was retained by the Tamil Thalaivas ahead of the Pro Kabaddi League 2018 auction and was the man on the crucial right corner position in defence for the team.
Hooda managed to garner a tally of 11 tackle points from five matches, which is somewhat underwhelming considering his usual standards. However, he did fare well against top raiders like Pardeep Narwal and Rohit Kumar, getting them out on a couple of occasions. Hooda will hope to improve upon his performance in the upcoming matches of the season.
Tackle Points - 11 Points from 5 matches (2.2 points per match)
#3 Fazel Atracheli - U Mumba
The Iranian powerhouse defender was handed the captaincy of the franchise this season after Anup Kumar's departure to the Jaipur Pink Panthers.
Fazel Atracheli embraced his return to the U Mumba fold and was in his element in the two matches that the side played in the Chennai leg. Fazel executed his powerful ankle holds and strong blocks and dashes from the left corner as he racked up seven tackle points from two matches.
Tackle Points - 7 Points from 2 matches (3.5 points per match)
#2 Nitesh Kumar - UP Yoddha
Nitesh Kumar took up the position of the right corner defender for the UP Yoddha side and had a crucial role to play in defence as they battled hard in the two matches in the Chennai leg.
Kumar was consistent with his ankle holds against both the Tamil Thalaivas as well as the Patna Pirates. Pardeep Narwal was especially careful against Kumar after he had been tackled down twice by the right corner defender. Kumar will hope to carry on his form ahead into the season.
Tackle Points - 7 Points from 2 matches (3.5 points per match)
#1 Ashish Kumar Sangwan - Bengaluru Bulls
Ashish Kumar Sangwan had a stellar outing against the Tamil Thalaivas when they clashed on the fourth day of the Chennai leg. Bengaluru Bulls beat the Thalaivas with a 48-37 scoreline and Sangwan played his part in the win.
Sangwan was on fire in the Bulls' defence as he pulled off five successful tackles, garnering seven points in the process and claiming a High 5. He even managed to execute two Super tackles on the Thalaivas as the Bulls stamped their authority on the mat.
Tackle Points - 7 points from 1 match (7 points per match)
