Noteworthy performers from Pune Leg of Pro Kabaddi League 2018

Curtains have rolled down for the third leg i.e. the Pune leg of Pro Kabaddi League 2018 which means the leg is officially over now and the competition will move into its fourth leg which will be played at the Patliputra Sports Complex in Patna.

Puneri Paltan who was the home team, had a mixed performance which saw them winning three and losing three from the 6 matches they played. There three wins came against Jaipur Pink Panthers 29-25 then in their following match of the Maharashtrian derby against UMumba which attend a closely fought contest by 33-32. Their final win of the leg came against Bengaluru Bulls by 27-25.

This leg did saw some enthralling performances from the individuals with Nitin Tomar the star raider from Puneri Paltan claiming the Green arm-band with 96 raid points to his name at the end of the leg. His skipper Girish Maruti Ernak ended with the maximum tackle points which means he is the current holder of the Orange arm-band.

Here are some individual performers whose charismatic show defined the Pune leg;

1. Best Raider

Nitin Tomar (Puneri Paltan)
Total raids 96, raids in the second leg 45 

Nitin Tomar the star raider of Puneri Paltan pursued his explicit form with a total of 45 raid points from 6 games at home. His stellar show encouraged his side to win three crucial games against UMumba, Bengaluru Bulls and Jaipur Pink Panthers. His most impressive performance came in the opening game of the leg against Gujarat Fortunegiants where he got 13 raid points to his name out of 16 attempts.

2. Best Defender

Girish Maruti Ernak (Puneri Paltan)
Total tackles 29, tackles in the second leg 13

Pune’s skipper led from the front and set an example for the others with 13 tackle points to his name at the end of the leg. Though he looked a bit rusty in the last three games he played but still, he managed to topple the list of the maximum tackle points. On his course, he was awarded as the best defender of the match twice in this leg.

Also Read: Two-star raiders create history in Pro Kabaddi League

3. Best individual performer (Raider)

Surjeet Singh (Bengal Warriors)
16 raid points against UP Yoddha

Surjeet Singh has been a pillar in Bengal’s raid department for years now and has been an amazing performer for them year after year. His valiant efforts were displayed in a drawn game against UP Yoddha where he got an impressive tally of 16 raid points from 24 attempts. He had a magnificent night and was the main reason for covering the deficit of the scorecard which was not looking in their grasps in the final minutes of the game.

3. Best individual performer (Defender)

Ravi Kumar (Puneri Paltan)
6 tackle points against Jaipur Pink Panthers

Ravi Kumar started slowly in the competition but now has been the second most important defender in Puneri Paltan after his skipper Girish Maruti Ernak. He has managed a total of 23 tackle points to his name from 10 appearances and his best performance came in the home game against Jaipur Pink Panthers where he got 6 tackle points to his name from just 5 attempts. He was also involved in 3 super tackles out of the 6 Puneri Paltan got to their name that night. His impressive performance aided him to gain the accolade of ‘The defender of the match‘.