The fourth edition of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi (PKL) ended with Patna Pirates lifting the trophy after beating Jaipur Pink Panthers in the final played at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad. Plenty of records were set and milestones reached in the 37-day tournament, which was the most competitive season in PKL history.
Let’s take a look at the season in numbers and all the records that were created in the past month:
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1 – Season 4 was the first time U Mumba did not play in the final. Having lost in the final in Seasons 1 and 3 while lifting the title in the second season, the team from Mumbai failed to qualify for the semis for the very first time in season 4.
1 – U Mumba suffered their first loss in their home leg during the league stage when Bengal Warriors trumped them 31-27 at the NSCI Stadium. They ended up losing to Bengaluru Bulls the very next day to make it 2 losses in 16 home matches.
1 – Season 4 was the first time a foreigner scooped up any of the season ending awards. Fazel Atrachali was adjudged as the Best Defender of the Tournament after he completed 45 tackles en route to winning the title.
2 – Patna Pirates became the first team to win two titles after they beat Jaipur Pink Panthers in the final on 31st July. In the process, they also defended their title – another first.
3 – This is the third time out of four seasons that the team finishing top of the league stage went on to win the title. The only exception was in Season 3 when Patna Pirates won the title despite finishing second during the group stage.
4 – Dharmaraj Cheralathan equalled the record for the most super tackles in a single match. The 41-year-old completed 4 super tackles against Bengal Warriors to help his team win 35-21 in Patna.
8 – Patna Pirates’ 8-point win over Jaipur Pink Panthers in the final is the second biggest margin for a win in a final ever. The biggest margin of victory in a final is 11 points when the Pink Panthers beat U Mumba in Season 1.
8 – Dharmaraj Cheralathan completed 8 super tackles in the season, the most by a player across all the 4 seasons.
11 – Puneri Paltan captain Manjeet Chhillar created the record for the most tackle points (11) in a single match. In the match against Bengaluru Bulls, the 29-year-old broke Surender Nada’s long standing record of 10 tackle points in a match.
11 – Ajay Kumar of Jaipur Pink Panthers, who was named the rising player of the tournament, scored the most points (11) by a substitute in Season 4 in a 28-33 loss vs Puneri Paltan.
13 – The most points scored in a match by a foreigner in Season 4. Jang Kun Lee scored 13 points in Bengal Warriors’ 32-25 win over Jaipur Pink Panthers in Kolkata before matching that output against Telugu Titans in a 34-34 draw 2 days later.
16 – The record for most points scored in a final was created by Pardeep Narwal this season when he scored 16 raid points to help Patna Pirates defend their title. U Mumba captain Anup Kumar, with 11 points, set the record in Season 1. His total was surpassed by Jasvir Singh as well, whose 13 points came in a losing cause.
18 – The most points scored by a player this season was 18 – a record held jointly by Pardeep Narwal and Rahul Chaudhari. The 19-year-old Patna Pirates raider scored half of his team’s points as they beat U Mumba 36-34. Not to be outdone, the Telugu Titans captain levelled that total in 3rd place playoff match against Puneri Paltan.
19 – Pardeep Narwal was awarded the Most Valuable Player of Season 4. At the age of 19, he is the youngest player ever to win the coveted award, beating Rohit Kumar’s record by a huge margin as he was adjudged the MVP of Season 3 at the age of 26.
22 – U Mumba suffered their biggest ever loss in PKL history – 22 points – after Puneri Paltan beat them 41-19 during the Pune Leg, which was being played in Mumbai.
24 – Rahul Chaudhari has now scored 10 or more points in 24 matches – the most number of super 10s by a player in the PKL.
25 – The biggest margin of victory this season was 25 points established after Jaipur Pink Panthers’ beat Dabang Delhi 51-26 in Hyderabad.
26 – The points difference between the top team and the bottom placed team in Season 4 was the lowest ever – 26 points. The auction that was held ahead of the fourth edition helped make this the most competitive season ever.
26 – The highest ever points total by the bottom placed team, Bengal Warriors. With 3 wins and 2 draws, the team from the city of joy are the best of the teams that finished at the bottom in each of the seasons.
26 – The record for the most super tackles by any team in a single season now belongs to Patna Pirates as they inflicted 26 super tackles on the opponents, thrashing the record made by Bengal Warriors in Season 2, when they amassed 20.
41 – Dharmaraj Cheralathan, aged 41, became the oldest player and captain to win the PKL title.
47 – Amit Hooda of Jaipur Pink Panthers completed 47 successful tackles – the highest in Season 4 of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi.
51 – The highest points scored by a team in a single match in Season 4 is 51, scored by Jaipur Pink Panthers against Dabang Delhi in Match No. 20.
52 – Patna Pirates’ total of 52 points to top the league table before the playoffs is the lowest by any of the teams that finished top in each of the seasons.
146 – Telugu Titans captain Rahul Chaudhari scored the most points in Season 4 by accumulating a grand total of 146 raid points.
517 – Rahul Chaudhari has scored 517 points in PKL – the most by a player across all 4 seasons.
