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The Sawai Mansingh Stadium was a witness to some spectacular kabaddi action as it played the host to the Jaipur leg of the Pro Kabaddi League 2017 Season 5. Records were broken and history was created as raiders put up a show for the ages.
The last day of the leg turned out to be the most memorable one with Rishank Devadiga leaving an indelible mark. Apart from him, there were four other raiders who too performed with aplomb.
Here are the top 5 raiders from the Jaipur leg:
1. Rishank Devadiga (UP Yoddha)
Simply put, Rishank Devadiga was devastating against the hapless Jaipur Pink Panthers. With a stupendous 28-point haul, he just etched his name in the record books. It made him the raider with the highest number of raid points across all five seasons of the PKL, breaking the record of 24 points achieved by Pardeep Narwal and Kashiling Adake.
The stats were unbelievable - out of 27 raid attempts, he scored in 19 and was tackled just once! Four out of those 19 were ruthless Super Raids as the opponent defenders huffed and puffed to keep him under control.
Rishank was unstoppable right from the start. By the 11th minute, he already had a Super 10. As the first half finished, the scoreboard showed that Devadiga had 15 raid points which was the highest number achieved by any PKL raider in the first half of any match.
The fact that he accomplished this mind-boggling feat the first time he was saddled with the responsibility of captaining his team in the absence of Nitin Tomar, must have made the achievement even sweeter.
2. Ajay Thakur (Tamil Thalaivas)
While his team has endured a miserable season on their debut, the Tamil Thalaivas captain Ajay Thakur has been their lone warrior time and again. And he brought forth his skills again in the U Mumba vs Tamil Thalaivas humdinger where the two teams were tied at 35-35 until the last minute.
The fearless Thakur once again did what he does the best and gifted his team vital raid points that turned the match in the Thalaivas’ favour. Thanks to his heroics, the yellow brigade was able to claim a 38-35 win over the former champions.
The highly experienced Thakur finished with a staggering 16 points on the night out of which 15 were from the raids. His massive 199 raid points accumulated from 21 games have now helped him climb to the No. 2 position in the Season 5 Raiders Leaderboard where only Pardeep Narwal is ahead of him.
3. Wazir Singh (Haryana Steelers)
Wazir Singh, who returned to the PKL in Season 5 after a ligament injury, put in a performance of a lifetime in the Haryana Steelers’ narrow 32-30 victory over Telugu Titans. From just 21 raid attempts, he recorded 14 raid points, terrorizing the Titans’ defence through touch points with effortless ease.
What was more impressive was how he targeted the Titans’ best players and sent them to the bench, clearly exhibiting the excellent strategy that the Steelers had that night. Not only did he eliminate their dependable defender, Vishal Bhardwaj on two occasions, but he also sent the talismanic Rahul Chaudhari out of the game more than once.
4. Nitin Rawal (Jaipur Pink Panthers)
As his team fell like a pack of cards, Nitin Rawal seemed unperturbed and was pretty much the Jaipur Pink Panthers’ shining beacon for much of their clash with UP Yoddha. With his huge strides and touches, he managed to score eight points as Rishank Devadiga wreaked havoc on the Jaipur backline.
And it was not just that match. Rawal was Jaipur’s most reliable man in their forgettable home leg where he contributed in both attack and defence, showcasing his all-round ability. In his 7-point haul against Puneri Paltan, six were earned through raids. It was, however, Jaipur’s one-point loss to Delhi where he dazzled the most.
Not only did he register a whopping 14 points, but it also saw him notching up a Super 10, giving a thorough testimony of his immense talent.
5. Rohit Kumar (Bengaluru Bulls)
The brilliant Rohit Kumar made merry against the struggling Dabang Delhi with his vicious raids. Putting his touches and escapes to devastating effect, the Bulls captain brought about his tenth Super 10 in scintillating fashion and finished with a score of 12 from 26 raid attempts.
The Season 3 MVP has now bagged 168 raid points from 19 games and is perched at the fifth position in the Season 5 Raiders Leaderboard. The Bulls still have a fighting chance of making it through to the play-offs and it goes without saying that Rohit will have to keep performing just like this to make that happen.
