Quite a few firsts as Season 5 reaches a century of matches

On 28th July, India witnessed a new chapter in the annals of VIVO Pro Kabaddi as its fifth season commenced in front of a rapturous crowd at Hyderabad. After two months of intense action, passionate wins, heartbreaking losses and a rousing display of talent, VIVO Pro Kabaddi crossed a monumental milestone on 29th September at Chennai: it completed a century of matches at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium. As we continue our journey to the Super Playoffs, here’s a throwback to the major moments that have underlined Season 5 so far.

A Super-10 opening

The season started with a blast as Indian kabaddi's poster boy, Telugu Titans' Rahul Chaudhari picked up a Super 10 in the season opener against Tamil Thalaivas to set the tone for the remainder of the league.

Nilesh Shinde's tackle of the season

Dabang Delhi K.C.’s Nilesh Shinde's spectacular dash tackle on Puneri Paltan’s Sandeep Narwal is etched in everyone's mind. Noticing Narwal's casual demeanour, Shinde prowled quietly from behind and with a burst of speed and power dashed the shocked raider off the mat.

Manjeet Chhillar’s novel record

The One Man Army is arguably the best all-rounder in VIVO Pro Kabaddi and he added one more jewel to his crown by becoming the first player in the league’s history to cross the milestone of 200 tackle points.

Gujarat Fortunegiants’ home dominance

Gujarat Fortunegiants ended their home leg undefeated, with their six-game journey comprising 5 straight wins and a tie. The Ahmedabad crowd seemed to work like magic as the team showed no signs of exhaustion but rather a robust mindset.

High 5 king Surender Nada

Haryana Steelers' Surender Nada, one of the best corner defenders in the world, added another jewel to his crown by becoming the first player ever in VIVO Pro Kabaddi history to pick up four consecutive High 5s in a season.

Fazel Atrachali’s defensive flair

Gujarat Fortunegiants’ ace defender Fazel Atrachali displayed his unwavering class against Puneri Paltan in Lucknow by picking up a massive tally of nine points in a single match to create a new season record for a defender.

The unstoppable Pardeep Narwal

Patna Pirates skipper Pardeep Narwal has been in sensational form this season and has notched up the following records so far:

  a) The first player to cross the 200 raid-point landmark in a single season.

  b) Highest number of points picked up in a single match this season. Twice he has picked up 21 points in a match.

  c) Most number of Super 10s picked up in successive matches (8) and he broke Anup Kumar’s previously held record of 6.

Jang Kun Lee’s pathbreaking record

Jang Kun Lee became the first foreign recruit in VIVO Pro Kabaddi history to surpass the 300 total points milestone in the match against Tamil Thalaivas. With this, Lee proved that he is the one of the most valuable foreign imports on the VIVO Pro Kabaddi stage.

Wazir Singh's 5-point raid

Haryana Steelers’ Wazir Singh pulled off a spectacular five-point super raid against Dabang Delhi K.C. that can easily be termed the raid of the season, which completely wiped out the opponents. The rare five-point super raid has been performed only once before in Season 3 by Jasvir Singh.

The Raid Machine's new record

Telugu Titans talisman and the most successful raider in VIVO Pro Kabaddi history, Rahul Chaudhari added another resplendent feather to his crown by becoming the first player ever to cross the 600 raid-point mark.

Dabang Delhi K.C.’s abysmal home leg

Dabang Delhi K.C. became the only team this season to face defeat in each one of their home matches. They played 6 matches at home but failed to secure a single win at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex.

Ajay Thakur's match-winning raids

In two consecutive matches at Delhi, Tamil Thalaivas captain Ajay Thakur initiated mind-boggling comebacks against Bengal Warriors and Gujarat Fortunegiants. In both matches, his two-point raid in the dying seconds gifted his team incredulous victories.

Biggest victory margin of the season

Dabang Delhi K.C.’s were no match for U.P. Yoddha at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex and suffered a 29-point defeat. The 45-16 Yoddha win went into the record books as the biggest victory margin this season.