Pro Kabaddi League 2021-22: Pardeep, Pawan gun for more glory in playoffs as frantic final day headlines league stage conclusion

Over the years, the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) has thrown up some interesting rivalries. The one that has caught the attention over the last three years is between Pawan Kumar Sehrawat and Pardeep Narwal and their quest to become the best raider of the League. While Pardeep is the most prolific scorer in the League’s history – 1326 raid points in 129 matches – and led his former team Patna Pirates to three championships, Pawan has ruled the roost in the last three seasons. He emerged as the most successful raider in Season 6 and Season 7 and currently has the most number of raid points in Season 8: 274 in 22 matches. The two raiders will headline the first day of Playoffs, on Monday, as Pardeep’s UP Yoddha take on the Puneri Paltan and the Pawan-led Bengaluru Bulls take on Gujarat Giants in the eliminators. On Sunday, during a press conference, Gujarat captain Sunil Kumar acknowledged that his team faces a tall task in trying to contain the big-built Pawan, whom he labelled, “the best raider in the world.” But this season has been just as much about young talent as the accomplished raiders. As such, both the matches will see established names pitted against breakthrough stars. While the Bulls will have to contend with debutants Rakesh and Pardeep Kumar, UP will be up against possibly the most exciting young raiding duo of Aslam Inamdar and Mohit Goyat. Patna Pirates and Dabang Delhi, who were placed first and second in the League standings, directly entered the semi-final, which will be held on Wednesday. Patna will play the winner of the match between Pune and UP. Frantic final day The league stage of Season 8 of Pro Kabaddi culminated in a frantic final day on Saturday. Five teams were in contention for the last three qualifying spots at the beginning of the day’s action. Former India captains Anup Kumar and Rakesh Kumar have been in many a bruising battle together. But in their new roles, as team coaches, the two were pitted against each other in a battle for survival. Anup’s Puneri Paltan, who had squandered a 10-point lead in the first half to lose 36-43 to Bengal Warriors the previous day, scored a confident 37-30 win over fellow Playoff contenders Jaipur Pink Panthers in the first match of the day to strengthen their position. Haryana Steelers, coached by Rakesh, took to the mat against table toppers Patna Pirates, knowing they had to win to go through. Cover defender Jaideep came up with another commanding performance to help Haryana come mighty close, but his team had to settle for a 30-27 defeat. A distraught Rakesh Kumar, leaned over the team bench, embodied the heartbreak of the teams who had, after two months in a demanding bio-secure bubble, failed to make the playoffs. Three-time champions Patna, meanwhile, finished the League stage with the most number of wins (16 from 22 matches) and best point difference (120). After becoming the first team to qualify for the Playoffs, Patna had slipped to a 23-26 defeat to Delhi in their penultimate match. That may have been just the kind of reality check the Pirates needed before the Playoffs to set their campaign back on track. Pune v UP After a slow start to the League, Puneri Paltan managed to turn things around and take the final qualifying spot for the Playoffs. The young unit, coached by kabaddi great Anup Kumar, have been impressive in the last few matches. During the League stage, UP and Pune have won one match each in their head-to-head clashes. While the Yoddhas won the high-scoring opening match 50-40, Pune outsmarted them 44-38 in the return leg. The striking feature in second match was that the famed UP defence was able to earn only two tackle points against Pune, and none in the second half. Aslam and Mohit worked very well in tandem, as they have for most of the season, against UP, scoring Super 10s in both the matches. But the most successful raider in the two matches has been Surender Gill, scoring 21 in the first match and 16 in the second. Pune’s defence, which is their weak link, has been unable to match up to his strength. Gill, who has dethroned Pardeep as the lead raider in the team, will once again pose big threat. However, Pardeep hasn’t taken the demotion lying down. He struggled for form and fitness in the first half of the season but has returned hungrier. A fitter Pardeep has scored three Super 10s in the last four matches and seems to have picked up momentum just at the right time. With so much raiding firepower on show, it is likely to be another high-scoring encounter between the two teams. At the end of the League stage, UP had the most number of raid points: 929. While UP have the better, and definitely the more experienced defence with Sumit (left) and captain Nitesh Kumar (right) manning the corners, Pune has shown they know how to nullify that threat. Bulls v Giants Like Pune, Gujarat left it till late but managed to get over the line. They needed two wins in the last two days and they delivered with a 43-33 win over the Tamil Thalaivas on Friday and 36-33 win over U Mumba on Saturday to make it to the Playoffs. The Gujarat franchise, which has entered the Playoffs in all three seasons that they have competed, go into the knockout stage with the best run-of-form. They are unbeaten in their last five matches. Meanwhile, the Bengaluru Bulls, who were the league leaders earlier in the season, are the only team in the top six to have lost two of their last five matches. Though Saurabh Nandal has been one of the best defenders this season (61 tackle points in 22 matches) the team has been flailing in that department. That is where Gujarat hold a definite edge. On paper, they still have one of the best defensive units in the League. Though Sunil and Parvesh Bhainswal haven’t been able to stamp their authority in the past seasons, their experience in clutch moments may prove crucial. The revelation for the Giants has been the form of their young raiders Rakesh and Pardeep Kumar. While Rakesh’s agility has seen him plunder points through the season, the stocky Pardeep is starting to put it all together. The latter scored 14 points against the Bulls in their second clash of the season, when Gujarat edged them 40-36. Bengaluru had thwarted the Giants 46-37 when the teams first clashed in Season 8. Pawan had come up with a massive 19-point performance while Bharat, who has held his own through the season, earned nine raid points in that match. Despite Gujarat’s defensive prowess, if Pawan is once again in form, he can single-handedly guide his team, like he has done in the past, into the semi-finals. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.