Five galvanising moments from the Greater Noida leg

The Greater Noida leg of VIVO Pro Kabaddi Season 6 saw some close contests with 2 ties being played out and teams like Dabang Delhi K.C. and Jaipur Pink Panthers witnessing a turning of tides. Here are some moments of mastery from the players that left the spectators in awe during this leg.

1. Rohit Kumar’s defiance helps Bengaluru Bulls beat U.P. Yoddha

Midway through the first half in Bengaluru Bulls’ match against U.P. Yoddha, the visitors were reduced to a solitary man on the mat as the home team were closing in on inflicting an All-Out. But captain Rohit Kumar was defiant. He raided three straight times as the lone man for his team on the mat and managed to get multiple points all three times. Kumar managed to score eight raid points in four raids before finally succumbing to U.P. Yoddha’s pressure. But his dexterous display ensured U.P. Yoddha could only take a 2-point lead after the All-Out which Bengaluru Bulls managed to overturn quickly and win the match.

2. Rishank Devadiga joins the 500 club

In U.P. Yoddha’s thrilling match against Bengal Warriors, captain Rishank Devadiga starred for his side, scoring 10 raid points to earn them a tie. In the process, he also became a history-maker. With his ninth point in the game, Devadiga became only the seventh man in VIVO Pro Kabaddi history to reach 500 raid points. A veteran of six VIVO Pro Kabaddi seasons, Devadiga reached the 500-point mark in 89 matches. From winning the title with U Mumba as a youngster to captaining a side himself, Devadiga has certainly had a memorable career. 

3. Vishal Bhardwaj’s perfect display

The bigger the challenge, the better a great player performs; and nobody proved that statement true quite like Telugu Titans captain Vishal Bhardwaj. The Left Corner picked off raider after raider in what was an almost mythical performance, in his side’s dominating display against three-time champions Patna Pirates. Bhardwaj scored nine tackle points in just eight attempts at a strike rate of 112.50, the second-highest by a Telugu Titans player with more than five tackle points in a match. It was also the second-most tackle points in a match by a Telugu Titans player, one short of Sombir’s mark of 10.

4. Meraj Sheykh’s magnificent Frog Jump

While Meraj Sheykh is well-known for the precision with which he executes the Scorpion Kick, in Thursday's game against Haryana Steelers he showed that he is a master of the Frog Jump as well. Coming in to raid in the 10th minute with his team leading by two points and the Super Tackle on for the opponents, Sheykh drove Sunil deep into the corner before leaping over an incoming Sachin Shingade's Thigh Hold to escape successfully. The Jump was perfectly timed and masterfully hidden till the last minute which took Shingade completely by surprise. Even at the age of 30, Sheykh showed that he hasn't lost any of his agility and that experience has only made the veteran all-rounder craftier.

5. Manjeet Chhillar displays his defensive caliber

The all-time leader in tackle points in VIVO Pro Kabaddi history and the winner of the Best Defender Award in Season 3, Manjeet Chhillar is one of the most decorated and feared defenders in the league’s history. And while his tackling numbers in the past two campaigns haven’t been as high as they were in the first three editions of VIVO Pro Kabaddi, Chhillar rolled back the years in a monstrous display against U.P. Yoddha. He picked up an astonishing eight tackle points in the match, the second-most he’s ever managed in a single match.