PKL 2018 | Combined 7 of season 6 so far

11/17/2018

The sixth season of Pro Kabaddi League has been an entertaining one for kabaddi lovers not only in India but also around the globe and we have witnessed some breathtaking action on the mat. Here at SportsCafe, we bring you the combined starting 7 of the 2018 edition of the league so far.

Siddharth Desai, Raider, U Mumba – 131 points from 12 matches

If someone asks, who is the find of the season in PKL? Then the answer is obviously Siddharth Desai. He has performed exceedingly well for U Mumba in his debut season of the PKL. Despite missing a couple of games due to injury, Desai is leading the Top Raiders list with 131 raid points to his name from 12 matches. His ability to pick up bonus points and exceptional success rate in Do or Die raids makes him the Best Raider in the league so far and he easily makes it to the combined 7 of season 6. The 26-year-old from Kolhapur is currently nursing a shoulder injury due to which he had to miss two matches and had to go off the mat earlier in their last home game. The raider has eight Super 10s and five Super Raids to his name which shows his capability of turning the result of a game.

Surender Singh, Right Cover, U Mumba – 36 points from 13 matches

U Mumba has won 10 out of their 14 matches not only because of Siddharth Desai’s success in the raiding department but their defence has also been exceptional with the presence of players like skipper Fazel Atrachali and Surender Singh. Surender had a poor start to the tournament with too many unsuccessful tackle attempts but he rectified his errors and looked more sensible in the home leg of the Mumbai franchise. His erratic tackles seem to be in the past and he looked very effective in initiating tackles. From 13 matches, he has 36 points which include two consecutive High 5s in the home leg as well. He is also coming up as a good support system for others like Fazel and Dharmaraj Cheralathan making U Mumba one of the most dangerous teams in the league.

Parvesh Bhainswal, Left Cover, Gujarat Fortunegiants – 27 points from nine matches

The runners-up team from the last edition is in great form in this season with a successive seven-match winning streak in PKL 2018 and much of its credit goes to their defence. Although captain Sunil Kumar didn’t find a place in the combined 7 as Surender has been more effective at that position, his cousin Parvesh Bhainswal has certainly booked the other side of the cover. With 31 tackle points from nine games, Bhainswal has been a threat for the opposition raiders with his excellent tackling moves of block and dash. Although he has only one High 5 in the season, he has been consistent enough by being effective in the left cover position, and corner when required, in each and every game. The Ahmedabad leg has already started and Gujarat will want to repeat the undefeated home record from 2017 this season as well.

Pardeep Narwal, Raider, Patna Pirates – 122 points from 11 matches

With a total of 122 points from 11 matches in the season so far, Pardeep Narwal is at the second position on the Top Raiders table of the league. He is someone who deserves a look in the combined 7 in spite of not putting up an impressive show in the first few games of the season prior to their home leg. Pardeep has been their primary raider in the team with Deepak Narwal and Manjeet as his supporters and he has a decent record in the sixth season playing under the pressure of captaincy as well. If the defending champions want to qualify for the playoffs this year then a lot depends on his performance in the upcoming games. He has affected five Super raids so far and has been brilliant in as many as eight matches by registering Super 10s in those games.

Vikash Khandola, Raider, Haryana Steelers – 110 points from 13 matches

With 110 points from 13 matches, Vikash Khandola is at the third position of the Top Raiders list after Siddharth Desai and Pardeep Narwal. Despite the presence of Monu Goyat, Khandola has been their primary raider in the tournament so far and has been very good with his raiding skills as well. After a quiet first 20-25 days, Khandola has put up some mesmerizing performance for the Steelers in the last few games. No one can forget his 15 raid point game against U Mumba in Mumbai which helped the Steelers beat Mumba in their den. The young lad from Jind in Haryana emerged as the Best Raider of the game again in the next match when he scored 14 points against Tamil Thalaivas and the match ended in a tie. His rise is certainly a positive sign for the team from the North Indian state of Haryana which is known as the hub of kabaddi. The 20-year-old has four Super Raids and five Super 10s to his name in this edition of the league.

Abozar Mighani, Right Corner, Telugu Titans – 31 points from eight matches

One of the finest right corners in the world Abozar Mighani will be preferred ahead of UP Yoddha’s Nitesh Kumar in the combined 7 only because of his exceptional successful tackle attempts. He has 31 points from eight matches while Nitesh has got 49 from 14 and is at the second position of the Top Defenders list. Abozar’s performance has taken the Titans to a comfortable third position on the points table as they have 30 points from nine matches in the league. Along with the presence of captain Vishal Bhardwaj, the Titans have one of the best defensive units in the league at present. The Iranian right corner has three High 5s and four Super Tackles in only eight games which shows his effectiveness in the side.

Fazel Atrachali (Captain), Left Corner, U Mumba – 57 points from 14 matches

Pretty much like his compatriot, the other Iranian defender Fazel Atrachali is unarguably one of the left corners in the world now. He has 57 tackle points from 14 matches and has led U Mumba brilliantly in the season so far. The Iranian corner combination can be deadly for any raider in the combined 7 side of the sixth season of the league. Although Fazel has been erratic on a few occasions, but his strength and strong holds make him dangerous in spite of him going for advance tackles on many occasions in the last few games of U Mumba. He has a maximum number of five High 5s in the season as a defender but only three Super Tackles from 14 games. His deadly ankle holds and body blocks have been next to impossible for the raiders to get an answer to those difficult moves by the Mumba skipper. He has lived up to the expectations of their Iranian coach and has helped other defenders like Dharmaraj Cheralathan, Rohit Rana and Surender Singh in stopping opposition raiders from returning to their halves.