In a sport where raiders generally rule the roost, Iranian defender Fazel ‘Sultan�?Atrachali is in a class of his own. After making his Pro Kabaddi debut in Season 2, Atrachali has gone on to establish himself as one of the finest defenders in the game. A two-time Pro Kabaddi champion �?first with U Mumba and then with Patna Pirates �?Atrachali has won the Best Defender twice in the league and is third on the all-time leaderboard for most Tackle Points (317). While there are innumerable performances to choose from, here we have a look at his top five High 5 performances in Pro Kabaddi.

Gujarat Fortunegiants VS Puneri Paltan, Match 40 (PKL 5) �?9 points

The Fortunegiants enjoyed a stellar campaign in Season 5 of Pro Kabaddi. They topped Zone A after winning 15 matches while losing just four and a major reason behind their solid displays was the presence of the Iranian powerhouse Atrachali in defence. His display for Gujarat against Puneri Paltan was particularly impressive and is his highest ever points return in match. Gujarat beat Pune 35-21 as Atrachali starred by top-scoring in the match with nine Tackle Points, having succeeded in nine of his 10 tackle attempts.

Patna Pirates VS Telugu Titans, Match 53 (PKL 4) �?8 points

Season 4 was a good one for Atrachali, who became a Pro Kabaddi champion for the second time in his career having previously won the title with U Mumba in 2014. The Iranian once again played the role of a leader in defence as Pardeep Narwal wreaked havoc in offence for Patna Pirates. Atrachali’s performance in the season, though, wasn’t a memorable one since the Pirates succumbed to a 25-46 loss against Telugu Titans. The result did little to thwart Patna’s title charge and Atrachali would have taken confidence from his own performance in the match having finished with eight Tackle Points, which included two Super Tackles.

U Mumba VS Haryana Steelers, Match 130 (PKL 7) �?8 points

Back with U Mumba for Season 7, Atrachali quickly became their main man in defence and was trusted by his teammates to organize the troops. His performances for the team were often the difference between a win or a loss for them and his showing against Haryana Steelers in Greater Noida was perhaps his best display for Mumbai last season. U Mumba went on to win the match 39-33 with Atrachali leading the way in defence courtesy eight tackle points, including a Super Tackle. Besides his own points, Atrachali’s support for his teammates came to the fore in this contest with the likes of Sandeep Narwal and Young Chang Ko also shining in defence thanks to a bit of help from the Iranian.

Bengal Warriors VS Patna Pirates, Match 39 (PKL 4) �?7 points

The fourth season of Pro Kabaddi witnessed several top-class defensive displays by the Iranian and his showing against Bengal Warriors in Patna’s 33-27 win was another brilliant individual performance. Up against raiders like Monu Goyat and Jang Kun Lee, Atrachali turned out to be the difference-maker between the teams as his assured and robust defending helped Patna to a victory in a close contest. He finished the night with seven Tackle Points and executed two Super Tackles at crucial junctures to dig his team out of a hole.

Puneri Paltan VS U Mumba, Match 52 (PKL 2) �?7 points

Atrachali’s best performance in his first title-winning campaign in Pro Kabaddi with U Mumba came during a high stakes Maharashtra derby between the eventual champions that season and Puneri Paltan. Mumbai eventually went on to beat Pune 39-34 but were made to work hard for the victory. They should thank Atrachali for playing a key role in the win by being solid in defence and finishing the night with six Tackle Points to his name, which also included a Super Tackle. The Iranian also showed that he’s far from a one-trick pony when he went up the other end of the mat in the match and returned with a touchpoint.

Feature image courtesy: Twitter / @PatnaPirates

Tackling in kabaddi takes a lot more than just strength.

Timing the attempt to perfection is one of the most important aspects of a good tackle and that is what separates good defenders from the greats.

While plenty of defenders scored a plethora of tackle points in Season 7, which defenders were the most efficient on the mat? We take a look at the top 5 tackle point scorers with the highest strike rate (strike rate is calculated by dividing the number of tackle points by the number of tackle attempts and then multiplying it by 100) in Pro Kabaddi Season 7.

NOTE: This list only includes defenders with at least 30 tackle points in Season 7.

Nitesh Kumar �?U.P. Yoddha

The only defender to hit triple figures for tackle points in a single season, U.P. Yoddha’s Nitesh Kumar was the defender with the highest strike rate at 61.47 in Pro Kabaddi Season 7.

 

Nitesh Kumar ki jitni taarif ki jaye utni kam hai

Watch the move that made him the fastest defender to reach 150 tackle points #SaansRokSeenaThok #YoddhaHum pic.twitter.com/zAXBRheSZ5

�?U.P. YODDHA (@UpYoddha) July 27, 2019

Nitesh was joint-second for most Super Tackles in Season 7 with eight, trailing only Telugu Titans�?Vishal Bhardwaj and Bengaluru Bulls�?Mahender Singh.

The Right Corner has always been an extremely efficient tackler, as proven by his strike rate of 64.93 in a season where he scored 100 tackle points.

Fazel Atrachali �?U Mumba

Trailing the league’s best Right Corner is perhaps the sport’s best Left Corner - U Mumba’s Fazel Atrachali.

Mumbai ka Raja who could do no wrong tonight, Sultan Fazel was simply sensational in #MUMvHAR!

Relive his milestone moment here, and watch #VIVOProKabaddi Season 7�?

�? Every day, 7 PM
: Star Sports and Hotstar#IsseToughKuchNahi pic.twitter.com/9rPZV8WqTw

�?ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) October 11, 2019

His league-leading 82 tackle points came at a stellar strike rate of 60.74. What is surprising is despite ranking so high in the strike rate department, Atrachali doesn’t even feature among the top 10 Super Tackle scorers in the league. His five in Season 7 ranked 12th in the league, but his low Super Tackle numbers illustrate just how efficient he is as a defender.

Sandeep Narwal �?U Mumba

While U Mumba’s Left Corner is perhaps the best defender in the game, their Right Corner, all-rounder Sandeep Narwal, is no slouch either.

There’s usually always a Narwal stealing the show, and this time it was @U_Mumba's Sandeep!

Keep watching #VIVOProKabaddi action, LIVE on Star Sports and Hotstar. #IsseToughKuchNahi pic.twitter.com/MPNpMa6mLd

�?ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) August 17, 2019

Sandeep scored 56 tackle points in 101 tackle attempts, giving him an impressive strike rate of 55.44. The veteran, who is Pro Kabaddi’s all-time leading Super Tackle scorer with 28, managed just five in Season 7, illustrating that he too wasn’t too reliant on his the two points gained from each Super Tackle to boost his strike rate.

Vishal Bhardwaj �?Telugu Titans

The league’s leading Super Tackle scorer comes in fourth with a strike rate of 55.35.

Bhardwaj averaged over five tackle attempts per game in Season 7, making him one of the highest volume tacklers in the league. He scored 62 tackle points, 18 of which came via Super Tackles, in 112 tackle attempts in Season 7.

Vishal Bhardwaj was at his best in #HYDvPAT, with tackles that broke @PatnaPirates' back.

Watch some of his tackles from the tied #VIVOProKabaddi battle here.

More raids and tackles

⌚Everyday, 7 PM

Star Sports & Hotstar#IsseToughKuchNahi pic.twitter.com/IiI6DvE8MC

�?ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) September 20, 2019

Since his debut in the league in Season 4, no other player has scored more Super Tackles than Bhardwaj (21), and the young Left Corner is already fifth on Pro Kabaddi’s leading Super Tackle scorers.

Baldev Singh �?Bengal Warriors

Starting Right Corner for the reigning champions, Baldev Singh ranked as the fifth most efficient tackler in Season 7.

Game after game, tackle after tackle, one man stands tall �?Baldev Singh!
Did you watch him defending for @BengalWarriors in #KOLvPUN with all his might?

Stay tuned to Star Sports and Hotstar for more #VIVOProKabaddi action, LIVE!#IsseToughKuchNahi pic.twitter.com/ehAvgM1TNa

�?ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) September 9, 2019

With 66 tackle points in 120 tackle attempts, the beastly defender’s tackle strike rate of 55.00 was the second-best among Right Corners in Season 7.

Baldev’s tackle strike rate jumped from 38.57 in Season 6 to 55 this past campaign, showcasing a stark improvement in his tackling technique.

Feature image courtesy: ProKabaddi.com

Since his debut in the Pro Kabaddi League with U Mumba in the tournament’s second campaign, Fazel Atrachali has been a game-changer for every team that he’s lined up in his glorious career so far.

The Iranian defender has steadily established himself as one of the best defenders in the game, however, there’s a case to be made that he is, in fact, the greatest defender in the history of the league. And here is why:

A statistical genius

Since debuting in season 2, no other defender has scored more tackle points than Atrachali. His 317 tackle points are 20 clear of next best, Ravinder Pahal, who has scored 297 during the tenure.

• Pawan Sehrawat’s best performances in Pro Kabaddi so far

Atrachali is also among the top four in every relevant statistical defensive category in Pro Kabaddi history. Among the top 10 tackle point scorers in the league, Fazel’s average of 3.08 tackle points per game ranks second only to Manjeet Chhillar’s 3.14.

Perhaps what outlines his efficiency and ability more than anything else is his tackle strike rate, which is calculated by dividing the number of tackle points by the number of tackles attempted, multiplied by 100.

Atrachali boasts of a 64.04 tackle strike rate, the only player among Pro Kabaddi’s top 10 tackle point scorers to have a strike rate of over 60. Manjeet Chhillar is next best with 54.58.

When it comes to High 5s, Atrachali ranks fourth all-time behind PO Surjeet Singh (27), Manjeet (23) and Pahal (23) with 21. The Iranian also ranks sixth on the all-time Super Tackles list, behind U Mumba teammate Sandeep Narwal (28), Dharmaraj Cheralathan (25), Mohit Chhillar (23), Jeeva Kumar (22) and Vishal Bhardwaj (21).

• Pardeep Narwal’s greatest performances in Pro Kabaddi

Any list outlining a player’s defensive domination in Pro Kabaddi is incomplete without the great Iranian, illustrating his incredible impact on the league.

A serial winner

With his second Best Defender award in Season 7, Atrachali became the only player alongside Manjeet Chhillar to win the honour twice.

The Iranian has won the Pro Kabaddi title twice, once in Season 2 with U Mumba and then in Season 4 with Patna Pirates, the season he also won his first Best Defender award.

Atrachali is the only player that has made it to the playoffs six seasons running, an incredible personal achievement.

• Anup captains Rishank Devadiga’s Pro Kabaddi dream team

Winning and Atrachali goes hand-in-hand as proven by his exploits in the Pro Kabaddi. No other defender has had an impact quite like the great Iranian has and hence, it is safe to say that Fazel Atrachali is the greatest defender in Pro Kabaddi history.

Feature image courtesy: Prokabaddi.com

Ask any prominent raider in the Pro Kabaddi League whom they dread the most, and Nitesh Kumar and Fazel Atrachali will surely feature among the list of top five names. Rightly so, both the defenders have made a name for themselves in the league, delivering consistent performances season after season. 

Both Fazel and Nitesh's mere presence on the court brings a lot of stability and instils a sense of confidence within the defensive unit of the team. One operating from the left while other from the right corner, both have been instrumental in leading the defence of their respective sides. 

The numbers of both the players are quite phenomenal with little separating the two feisty characters. While one has already become a household name, other has been making a significant mark in his nascent PKL career. 

In this article, we look at the comparative analysis between these two corner defenders.

1.Battle for the ‘Numero uno�?spot

Name	Team	Matches	Tackles	Total Tackle Points	Average Tackle Points	Tackle Strike Rate
Fazel Atrachali	U Mumba	71	364	222	3.13	60.98
Nitesh Kumar	UP Yoddha	67	367	222	3.31	60.49

Head to head �?Fazel vs Nitesh

Both Fazel and Nitesh stand neck to neck in terms of the most successful defenders in the league. Interestingly, both have the same number of tackle points (222) from the last 3 editions of PKL. While Nitesh has a slightly better average tackle points per match (3.31) compared to Fazel (3.13), the Iranian pips the right defender with a slightly better tackle strike rate of 60.98 over 60.49 of Nitesh.

2. Matchup against the best raider of the league �?Pardeep Narwal

Name	Matches	Tackles	Total Tackle Points	Tackle Strike Rate
Fazel Atrachali	71	17	15	88.23
Nitesh Kumar	67	21	12	57.14

Pradeep Narwal has inarguably been the best raider in the history of the league with most number of raid points scored, rattling the opposition defences with ease. Looking at both these defender’s performances against the Dubki king, Fazel clearly holds the edge over his rival. Fazel has scored 15 tackle points from 17 tackles at a stellar strike rate of 88.23. On the contrary, Nitesh's performance against Pardeep has been subdued with a meagre return of 12 tackle points from 21 tackles with a strike rate of 57.14. Fazel clearly holds the upper hand over Nitesh in this regard. 

3. Contribution in wins

Name	Matches	Tackles	Total Tackle Points	Average Tackle Points	Tackle Strike Rate
Fazel Atrachali	44	210	160	3.64	76.19
Nitesh Kumar	31	192	114	3.68	59.37

Here again, there is a neck to neck battle between the two superstars with the average tackle points scored in wins almost similar at 3.64 and 3.68 for Fazel and Nitesh respectively. But when it comes to the tackle strike rate, the Iranian clearly holds the ascendancy over the Yoddha skipper with a tackle strike rate of 76.19 from 210 tackles in victory causes as against 59.37 for Nitesh Kumar.

4. Performance in Super Tackles

Name	Matches	Tackles	Super Tackles
Fazel Atrachali	71	364	11
Nitesh Kumar	67	367	17

As far as the performance in super tackles is concerned, the right corner star wins the race with 17 super tackles to his name compared to the U Mumba captain who has 11. Nitesh Kumar is also the 2nd highest points scorer in the league from the last three editions with respect to the number of successful super tackles.

5. Performance breakdown over the course of the match 

Nitesh Kumar - Tackle points scored as per time intervals:

Time Intervals	Tackles	Total Tackle Points	Average Tackle Points	Tackle Strike Rate
01-05 Mins	28	15	0.21	53.57
06-10 Mins	39	18	0.25	46.15
11-15 Mins	42	31	0.44	73.8
16-20 Mins	43	28	0.39	65.11
21-25 Mins	45	30	0.42	66.66
26-30 Mins	42	28	0.39	66.66
31-35 Mins	40	28	0.39	70
36-40 Mins	85	44	0.62	51.76

Comparing the performance of both the defenders across the entire duration, there is not much to separate between the two in the first half of play as both are equally dominant. However, in the closing stages of the match, in the final 10 minutes of play, the two-time PKL trophy winner holds the advantage over his opponent with a tackle strike rate of 70 and 51.76 in the final 10 minutes of the match.

Fazel Atrachali - Tackle points scored as per time intervals:

Time Intervals	Tackles	Total Tackle Points	Average Tackle Points	Tackle Strike Rate
01-05 Mins	32	15	0.22	46.87
06-10 Mins	50	34	0.51	68
11-15 Mins	45	30	0.45	66.66
16-20 Mins	46	30	0.45	65.21
21-25 Mins	41	24	0.36	58.53
26-30 Mins	42	29	0.43	69.04
31-35 Mins	43	27	0.4	62.79
36-40 Mins	66	33	0.49	50

Overall, from the above analysis, it is clear that the Fazel Atrachali clearly holds the edge over Nitesh Kumar in the battle of the corner defenders. No wonder why he is rightly regarded as the Sultan of defense in Pro Kabaddi with his impeccable skills. 

As the saying goes, “Attack wins you matches while the defence will get you titles.�?This formula has been tried and tested in sports across the world where teams spend millions to strengthen their defence and fight for glory. Similarly, after the ascent of Pro Kabaddi in the past few years, the team owners have started investing in defenders heavily in order to tackle the agile and overnumbered raiders.

From their sturdy built to their gripping hold, few of these defenders have instilled a sense of fear in the minds of the raiders. Here we list the top five defenders who have risen to the top in the league over the years.

Mohit Chhillar

Hailing from Nizampur, Haryana, Mohit Chhillar has built a diversified portfolio in PKL over the years. The versatile defender has played for U Mumba, Jaipur Pink Panthers, Bengaluru Bulls and Haryana Steelers over the span of seven seasons successfully leading the charge in defence. Currently involved with Tamil Thalaivas in the seventh season, Mohit’s signature move is the diving thigh hold which completely surprises the raiders at times.

Sandeep Narwal�? the battering ram who uses his strength and speed to knock down raiders!  #UMumba #MeMumba #HowsTheJosh #VivoProKabaddi pic.twitter.com/G581EQUnu3

�?U Mumba (@U_Mumba) September 4, 2019

He was a crucial member of the Indian team in the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup and had completed 220 successful tackles up to PKL season six.

Ravinder Pahal

Having played mostly for Dabang Delhi in PKL, Ravinder Pahal was the best defender in the second season picking up 64 points from 14 matches. Pahal slowly built a solid reputation for his abilities to corner opponents. He occupies the right corner of the defensive line for Delhi and has an uncanny ability to quickly grab the ankle or thighs of the raiders.  

Fazel Atrachali

To have played in four PKL finals is a testament to his ability to counter any successful raid. The Iranian defender was instrumental in helping Patna Pirates lift the title back in 2016. His signature move is the dash which usually throws the defender off his guard as he is unable to stand his ground.

His exploits with Patna Pirates convinced Gujarat Fortunegiants to secure his services for season five. Next season, he went on to register a record 83 tackle points to his name as a part of U Mumba, something he would want to replicate in season seven as well.

Sandeep Narwal

A true all-rounder in every sense of the word, Sandeep Narwal spent his first three seasons with Patna Pirates. Although he started his career as a part of the defence line up but he worked his way through to become a successful raider as well. He garnered 92 raid points in the inaugural season of PKL denoting his ability to lead raids.

Sandeep Narwal�? the battering ram who uses his strength and speed to knock down raiders!  #UMumba #MeMumba #HowsTheJosh #VivoProKabaddi pic.twitter.com/G581EQUnu3

�?U Mumba (@U_Mumba) September 4, 2019

Playing for U Mumba in the ongoing season, Sandeep is tipped to be one of the top performers for his team.

Manjeet Chhillar

Manjeet Chhillar’s journey from wrestling to Kabaddi has been an exciting one, to say the least. Adjudged as the Most Valuable Player for his all-round performance in the second season, Manjeet has never looked back since.

When Mighty Manjeet Chhillar�?attacks, there is no way out. pic.twitter.com/tyMxx1nbQb

�?Puneri Paltan (@PuneriPaltan) April 22, 2017

Leading the table for the most successful tackles in the league, the player from Haryana has unparalleled strength to withhold the strongest of raiders. Tamil Thalaivas success will heavily ride on him in the seventh season. 

Feature image courtesy: Star Sports & PKL