Pro Kabaddi League 2018: Top 5 raiders from the Pune leg

The Pune leg of the sixth edition of the Pro Kabaddi League came to an end as the hosts Puneri Paltan lost 23-29 in their final home game against the UP Yoddha at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune.

The Paltan started their home leg with a 28-34 loss against the Gujarat Fortunegiants but soon bounced back to winning ways as they registered a hat-trick of wins to sit pretty at the top of the table.

In their penultimate home game, the Paltan squared off against a wounded yet well-rested Tamil Thalaivas, who made life difficult for the Paltan as the Thalaivas romped home to a 36-31 win.

In the final home game, Pune was dealt a blow with skipper Girish Ernak missing from the action as his absence from the starting seven raised quite a few eyebrows. The blow converted into a loss as the rest of the Pune defense, barring Ravi Kumar failed to keep the UP raiders in check.

In other games, Pawan Sehrawat's 20-point effort stole the headlines while Rahul Chaudhari's reverse kick to reach the 700-raid point landmark was overshadowed by the impressive rise of Siddharth Desai. Vikash Khandola's form will be a boost for the Steelers, while the Thalaivas' win after a string of losses could also see a reversal in fortunes this season for the Ajay Thakur-led side.

Here are the top five raiders from the Haryana leg.

#5 Monu Goyat - Haryana Steelers

At a time when it most mattered, Monu Goyat rose to the occasion and aided Vikash Khandola in the raiding department as the Haryana skipper picked only his second 'Super 10' in seven matches.

Goyat's show was laced with a mixture of bonus points and touch points, a trademark style of the Haryana skipper as he finished second on the charts for most point and also picked 11 points from 15 raids.

#4 Ajay Thakur - Tamil Thalaivas

Ajay Thakur top-scored for Thalaivas against Pune

The lanky raider has been forced to settle with a team that has been struck by a spate of losses, five in a row to be particular, but that did not bother the Thalaivas' skipper as he finished with 12 points in 20 raids against the hosts Puneri Paltan and in the process, also led his team to a 36-31 win, only their second of the season from six matches.

Pitted against the likes of Girish Ernak and Ravi Kumar, Thakur presented a phase of solidity as his decision to target the lesser-known defenders in the corners paid off as he finished with a 'Super 10', his fourth in seven matches to lead the way.

His aggression seemed to rub off on the rest of the team as Jasvir finished with eight points, Sukesh and Manjeet Chhillar with four points each.

#3 Vikash Khandola - Haryana Steelers

Khandola's return to form comes at the right time for the Steelers — Khandola's

A nippy raider who is gifted with an ability to travel both sides of the court at a quick pace, Vikash tormented the Bulls' defenders in the Steelers' only match in Pune as he finished with 14 points from 18 raids but was unfortunate to end up on the wrong side of the result.

When compared to Khandola's lofty standards of that from last season, the Steelers has not had the greatest of runs but against the Bulls, the past was all forgotten as Khandola appeared a man on a mission and proved a living nightmare for the Bulls.

Luring tackles from the likes of Mahender, Ashish Sangwan, and Sandeep, the raider enjoyed a top run against the Bulls as he made optimum use of the weak holds and ineffective dashes to pick points.

#2 Pawan Sehrawat - Bengaluru Bulls

Pawan Kumar already has three 'Super 10s' to his name

Pawan Kumar Sehrawat announced his arrival in the league with a 20-point haul against the Thalaivas and followed it up with 16 points in the next game, against the same opposition.

However, the Puneri Paltan managed to keep him quiet as Pawan finished with just 8 points. Determined to put in a strong show against the Steelers, Pawan blazed through the opposition as he finished with 20 points from 20 raids and ensured that the Bengaluru Bulls took the lead and converted it into a win in the second half.

Such was his dominance that 19 of those 20 points came from hand touches, highlighting the youngster's efficiency in the raiding department. In just four games now, Pawan has 62 points with two 20-point games and is one raider who can finish at the top this season.

#1 Siddharth Desai - U Mumba

There's not much left to say about U Mumba's Siddharth Desai, who has continued to grow from strength to strength and in the process put some of the best defenders to shame with his myriad skill sets.

U Mumba played two games during the Pune leg and in both the matches, Desai scored 15 or more raid points, underlining the lanky raider's importance to the squad. In U Mumba's last-minute loss to Pune, Desai amassed 15 points and three days later, ran through Pune's defense unit to collect 17 raid points from 19 raids.

With five 'Super 10s' in six games, Desai has stood tall above the rest and his reach, laced with pace and maturity on the court can certainly come to the fore once again as U Mumba chase yet another title after their title win in the second season.