The Patna Leg of the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League season 3 was a period of firsts. It saw the Patna Pirates suffer a defeat for the first time, as U Mumba became the only team this season to gather full points against the league leaders.
At the other end of the table, Star Sports Pro Kabaddi's beleaguered side Dabang Delhi notched their first win in Season 3 – against the Bengaluru Bulls.
The leg was littered with some splendid individual performances. We try to create the best team from the Patna Leg based on the players' exploits at the Patliputra Sports Complex.
Trending
Rohit Kumar
Fresh from winning the gold medal with the Indian national kabaddi team, the Patna Pirates raider took the Patliputra Sports Complex by storm. He amassed a total of 41 points in 4 matches and helped the Pirates extend their lead at the top.
Despite this being his debut season, the former Services raider has already started making the defenders shake in their boots whenever he crosses the halfway line to go for a raid. He holds the key for Patna this season.
Surjeet Narwal
The Bengaluru Bulls captain could not see his side register a win in Patna, but in the match against the home team, the 25-year-old announced himself in a big way. Surjeet was a one-man army for the Bulls against the Pirates as he scored almost half of his team's points (15 in a 32-36 loss).
The second match saw him curb his raiding instincts as he attempted only 6 raids, but the match against the Pirates will go down as one of the best performances in a losing cause in Pro Kabaddi history.
Sonu Narwal
The third raider's spot in the team is occupied by an employee of the Indian Police – Sonu Narwal. The 29-year-old scored 9 raid points to help Season 1 winners Jaipur Pink Panthers edge out high-flying Telugu Titans.
Narwal used his height to execute his toe touches to perfection, thus making sure the Pink Panthers went to the Jaipur Leg with a win under their belt.
Dharmaraj Cheralathan
The 40-year-old was the lone warrior for the Telugu Titans in both of their matches in Patna. Although the Titans lost their two matches, Cheralathan put up a brilliant all-round performance, scoring 14 points (6 raid and 8 defence) in all.
On quite a few occasions, he was the last man standing for the Titans, but he never went down without a fight. His experience is a major plus for last season's semi-finalists as they look to go one step further this season.
Bajirao Hodage
Conjuring up the best defensive performance of the season is commendable. But when you realize that the performance came against a Telugu Titans attack comprising Rahul Chaudhari and Sukesh Hegde, you know that you’re talking about a whole different level.
Scoring 8 points against the Titans, the 33-year-old Hodage used his experience to ensure Bengal Warriors returned to winning ways. Although his performance wasn't as impressive in the match against the home team, Hodage features in the team of the week due to his stunning exploits against the Titans.
Rajesh Narwal
A man, known for his raiding more than his defensive skills, Rajesh Narwal, of the Jaipur Pink Panthers, managed to surprise not only the raiders but also the fans as he shifted gears with ease.
As Sonu Narwal took care of the raiding duties, Rajesh maximized his time on the court by restricting the Titans’ raiders time and again. His super five in defence was complemented with a raid point, and his stellar efforts easily find him a spot in the team of the week.
Ravinder Pahal
It takes the heart of a lion to come out all guns blazing despite being the captain of the team that has failed to win a single game in 7 matches. And that’s exactly what Ravinder Pahal showed, as he gave a defensive masterclass when Dabang Delhi took on Bengaluru Bulls.
He was an absolute rock at the back, amassing 5 tackle points against an in-form Surjeet Narwal and his young team. The Eagles will hope that Binda, as he is fondly called, continues his rich vein of form and helps the team make a late surge for the semi-final spot.
