Pro Kabaddi League: Top five defenders of the tenth season

Pro Kabaddi League season ten has concluded with young Puneri Paltan taking their first ever PKL title surpassing the challenge of Haryana Steelers in a close final on Friday at Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad.

The defensive gameplay was one of the highlights of the season which we have also seen in the low-scoring final where both the sides were quite solid on their defensive upfront. 

Puneri Paltan (331) and Haryana Steelers were the top two teams of the season with the most number of successful tackles.

Today, The Bridge is looking at the top five defenders of the tenth season of PKL:

Mohammadreza Chiyaneh - Puneri Paltan

The Iranian has been one of the players of the tournament for Puneri Paltan with his defensive prowess producing 97 successful tackles on his own. He was the most dominating defender of the season having more than 20 points from the second-placed player.

He played 24 matches for his team and secured 11 high 5s performances with a defensive accuracy of 59 percent. He also helped the team make out few raid points at a crucial moment.

He has 27 raid points from the season from 59 raids. He was the key man in Pune's defence in the semi-finals against Patna Pirates with a high-five performance and helped the team to secure an easy win.

Krishan - Patna Pirates

Krishan was the man behind who forced the comeback of the Patna Pirates in a derailing season early on. He helps them reach the playoffs with his 73 successful tackles with a success rate of 44 percent.

Krishan came to light from the Yuva Kabaddi series, from where the Patna Pirates offers him a contract that proved to be a profitable one. He has a very good record in a three-man defence offering five super tackles this season.

Yogesh - Dabaang Delhi K.C

Yogesh was the only defender from the Delhi side who had 50 plus raid points this season, he had 68 successful tackles with 74 points and an accuracy rate of 54 percent. He has a total of six super tackles this season and played a crucial role in the team's journey to the knockouts.

Yogesh who made his debut this season has quickly adapted to the league and offers some solid cover to Delhi's defence, he almost pulled up his team in the semi-final after making a super tackle in the playoff match against Patna Pirates.

Gaurav Khatri - Puneri Paltan 

Another defender from the champion side made his impact this season with 67 successful tackles and has made a very important partnership from the right corner with his explosive partner, Chiyaneh in left-side.

Gaurav was also the main defender in the final against Haryana with his crucial four tackle points. He also had a very high tackle accuracy of 59 percent.

Mohit Nandal - Haryana Steelers

Mohit Nandal was the main custodian of the Haryana's defence having 64 successful tackles with a 44 percent accuracy. He also has six High 5s performances this season including six super tackles.

He was also the MVP of the Haryana Steelers victory over Gujarat Giants in the playoffs with his brilliant 7 tackle points to confirm the semi-final ticket for his team.