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The first half of Pro Kabaddi 2022 concluded last evening in Bengaluru, with Dabang Delhi KC, Bengaluru Bulls and Patna Pirates emerging as the three most successful teams. Gujarat Giants, Puneri Paltan and Telugu Titans, on the other hand, could not impress much during the 66 games.
Star players like Pawan Kumar Sehrawat, Naveen Kumar, Surjeet Singh, Maninder Singh, Pardeep Narwal, Surender Nada and Vikash Kandola were superb during the first half of the season.
While fans expected the aforementioned players to perform well, the following three names surpassed all expectations with their consistent performances in Pro Kabaddi 2022.
#1 Arjun Deshwal, Jaipur Pink Panthers - 127 raid points
Jaipur Pink Panthers broke the bank to sign young raider Arjun Deshwal for a whopping ₹96 lakh at the Pro Kabaddi 2021 auction. Many fans were surprised to see the inaugural champions bid so aggressively for the youngster as Deshwal had experience of only 22 PKL matches.
He played for U Mumba the previous two seasons. While Deshwal got only three matches in the sixth season, he got to represent U Mumba in 19 games during the seventh edition, where he earned 106 points.
For Jaipur Pink Panthers, Deshwal has already scored 127 points in just 11 matches. He started the season with seven consecutive Super 10s. Deshwal's consistent performances have played a huge role in the Jaipur-based franchise's success this season.
#2 Surender Gill, UP Yoddha - 94 raid points
When Pro Kabaddi 2022 began, many fans expected Pardeep Narwal to emerge as the most successful raider from UP Yoddha. However, Surender Gill has outshone the Record Breaker with his fine performances in the tournament.
So far in the competition, Gill has earned 94 raid points from 12 matches. He has been the best raider from the UP Yoddha squad and is sixth on the overall raiders' leaderboard.
The tall raider has recorded four Super 10s, while executing five super raids. Gill has an average of 8.55 raid points per match.
#3 Sagar Rathee, Tamil Thalaivas - 41 tackle points
The player who has surprised kabaddi fans the most this season is Tamil Thalaivas' right corner defender Sagar Rathee. The rising star has notched up 41 tackle points in 11 matches this year and is the best defender of all teams.
Sagar has formed an excellent combination with his captain Surjeet Singh to trouble the opposition raiders. The right corner defender has scored five High 5s this season, executing 3.73 successful tackles per match.
Tamil Thalaivas fans will expect Sagar to continue in the same vein during the second half of the competition. It will be interesting to see if he ends up as the Best Defender of Season 8.
