The recently concluded Pro Kabaddi League Season 8 saw Dabang Delhi win the title for the first time in their history. Delhi defeated three-time champions Patna Pirates 37-36 in the final to clinch the prestigious trophy.
It was a long and competitive season. While Patna Pirates booked their playoffs spot well before the league stages ended, the other remaining spots were up for grabs till the very last of the league matches. Eventually, it was Dabang Delhi, UP Yoddha, Bengaluru Bulls, Gujarat Giants and Puneri Paltan who made it to the top six and qualified for the playoffs.
We have already looked at the top five raiders of the league for the last season. Now, let us have a look at the top five defenders of Pro Kabaddi League Season 8.
5. Sumit
Sumit brought his brilliant form from Season 7 into this campaign. The defender was the main man of the UP Yoddha defence yet again.
He contributed 62 tackle points for UP Yoddha in 24 matches. He did it with an average of 2.58 successful tackles per match. The defender also had four High5s to his name last season.
His performances saw UP Yoddha qualify for the playoffs. UP Yoddha made it all the way to the semi-finals, where they lost against Patna Pirates. Sumit's performance in the semi-final, however, did little to help his team.
4. Jaideep
Haryana Steelers' defender Jaideep put up a solid display in his debut season in the Pro Kabaddi League. Jaideep scored a total of 66 points in 22 matches for the Steelers, all of which were tackle points. The defender averaged three successful tackles per match and had five High5s to his name.
However, despite the defender's best efforts, Haryana Steelers failed to qualify for the playoffs by two points. The Steelers finished seventh in the league table. Jaideep would like to carry his form into next season and hopefully, see his team through to the playoffs.
3. Saurabh Nandal
Another solid outing for the Bengaluru Bulls' defender, as he improved his points tally from Season 7. Saurabh Nandal made 69 tackle points for the Bulls in this campaign, with an average of 2.88 successful tackles per match. The defender also had two High5s to his name and was involved in six super tackles for his team in 24 matches.
Riding on Nandal's solid defensive performances, Bengaluru Bulls managed to finish fifth in the league stages and qualify for the playoffs. They went out after their defeat against eventual champions Dabang Delhi.
2. Sagar
Arguably the most improved player in the last season, Sagar won more than thrice the number of points that he had won for Tamil Thalaivas in Season 7. The defender contributed 82 tackle points for Tamil Thalaivas, with an average of 3.73 successful tackles per match. Sagar also had eight High5s to his name in a total of 22 matches.
His heroic performances, unfortunately, weren't enough for Tamil Thalaivas. They had a season to forget, as they finished 11th in the league table and were 19 points adrift of the playoffs spots.
Patna Pirates' Mohammadreza Chiyaneh won the most number of tackle points in Pro Kabaddi League Season 8. The Iranian was absolutely sensational in his first season in the Pro Kabaddi League. He dominated from the left corner of Patna Pirates' defence and terrorized opposition raiders. Chiyaneh won 89 tackle points in the whole campaign, with an average of 3.71 successful tackles per match. He also has 10 High 5s to his name.
Chiyaneh's consistently good performances were part of the reason behind Patna Pirates' dominant display in the league stage. Patna cruised their way into the final. However, they lost to Dabang Delhi in the final by one point. Despite his brilliant performances throughout the season, it could be argued that it was Chiyaneh's mistake towards the dying minutes of the final, that cost Patna Pirates the game that night.
