PKL 2022 League Stage Round Up: Jaipur Pink Panthers’ Arjun Deshwal, Bengaluru Bulls’ Bharat set stage on fire

Bengaluru Bulls Bharat raids against Jaipur Pink Panthers (Images: PKL) — Bengaluru Bulls' Bharat raids against Jaipur Pink Panthers (Images: PKL)

Mumbai, December 12: The Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) 2022 or PKL Season 9 has reached the climax stage after gruelling action over the past two months in the league stage.

Jaipur Pink Panthers finished at the top of the table at the end of the PKL Season 9 with 82 points, while the Puneri Paltan finished at the second spot with 80 points in the league stage. The two sides directly qualified for the Semi-Finals.

Meanwhile, the Bengaluru Bulls, UP Yoddhas, Tamil Thalaivas and Dabang Delhi KC finished at the third, fourth, fifth and sixth spots respectively to qualify for the eliminators, which open the playoff round.

Bengaluru Bulls take on Dabgang Delhi in Eliminator 1 and UP Yoddhas will be up against the Tamil Thalaivas in Eliminator 2 at the Dome, NSCI SVP Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday (December 13).

The Semi-Finals are slated to be held on Thursday (December 15), while the grand finale will be hosted on Saturday (December 17) also at the same venue in Mumbai.

Ahead of the start of the PKL 2022 Playoffs, let's take a look at the top raiders, defenders and contests in the league stage of the tournament.

Top Raiders after PKL 2022 League Stage

1. Arjun Deshwal (Jaipur Pink Panthers)

Arjun Deshwal has decimated most of the defense units during the vivo PKL Season 9 league stage. He is currently the highest raid points scorer with 286 points in the season so far.

2. Bharat (Bengaluru Bulls)

Playing only in his second season, Bharat has emerged as the lead raider for the Bengaluru Bulls in the vivo Pro Kabaddi League Season 9. He picked up a total of 257 raid points in the league stage.

3. Naveen Kumar (Dabang Delhi KC)

Naveen Kumar led from the front for the Dabang Delhi K.C. in the vivo PKL Season 9 league stage. He scored a total of 246 raid points and helped his team qualify for the Playoffs just in the nick of time.

Top Defenders after PKL 2022 League Stage

1. Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh (Patna Pirates)

The Patna Pirates didn't have the best of seasons, but Mohammadreza Chiyaneh was at the top of his game during the league stage. He set the record for the most tackle points (16) in a single match and picked up a total of 84 tackle points in the league stage.

2. Ankush (Jaipur Pink Panthers)

Playing only in his first season, Ankush has emerged as the frontline defender for the Jaipur Pink Panthers this season. He scored a total of 81 tackle points in the league stage.

3. Saurabh Nandal (Bengaluru Bulls)

Saurabh Nandal has been the backbone of the Bengaluru Bulls' defense unit in vivo Pro Kabaddi League Season 9. He put up brilliant performances consistently and notched 63 tackle points in the league stage.

Top Contests in PKL 2022 League Stage

1. Bengaluru Bulls beat Puneri Paltan 41-39 (Match 9)

The Bulls had attained a 14-point lead at the end of the first half, but Puneri levelled the scores at 35-35 in the second half. However, Vikash Kandola pulled off a couple of raids in the end to help his team emerge victorious.

2. Tamil Thalaivas beat Patna Pirates 33-32 (Match 24)

The Patna Pirates held the lead for most of the game, but Himanshu Singh pulled off some fantastic raids in the second part of the second half to help the Thalaivas record a thrilling come-from-behind

victory.

3. Puneri Paltan Beat Bengaluru Bulls 35-33 (Match 91)

The Puneri Paltan had a big lead at 20-10 at the end of the first half. However, the Bengaluru Bulls fought back in the second half and levelled the scores just before the final raid of the match. However, Aslam Inamdar pulled off a brilliant raid and helped his team emerge victorious.