Kabaddi is a team sport and each of the members are required to play their role with agility and presence of mind. And PKL is just the ideal platform to showcase these talents.
Apart from the attackers, defenders, too, play a pivotal role of stopping the rival raiders in their tracks to deny them raid points. They aim to tackle and pin down the raider before he reached past the half-line. They need to combine timing, reflexing and strategy to top the raider.
Since its inception in 2014, the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) has witnessed some exceptional defenders who have shown excellence with their consistency, strength and dominance.
Islamic Republic of Iran’s Fazel Atrachali became the first player to reach the 500-tackle point mark in PKL history while appearing for the Bengal Warriorz in 2024.
Atrachali was the top-scoring defender in Season 4 and 7 while as he featured for Patna Pirates and U Mumba, respectively.
Two-time Asian Games gold medallist Surjeet Singh is another expert defender and is the Indian player with highest tackle points in the PKL history.
Manjeet Chhillar, the league’s inaugural top defender with 51 tackle points for the Bengaluru Bulls, is fourth on the all-time leaderboard. He became the first player to emerge as the top defender twice when he scored 61 tackle points for Puneri Paltan in the third season.
Also Read: PKL 12: Unsold In Auction, Jitendra Yadav Joins Bengaluru Bulls
Most tackle points in PKL
| Rank | Raider | Matches ` | Tackle points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fazel Atrachali | 188 | 545 |
| 2 | Surjeet Singh | 171 | 443 |
| 3 | Nitesh Kumar | 150 | 409 |
| 4 | Manjeet Chhillar | 132 | 391 |
| 5 | Sunil Kumar | 160 | 390 |
| 6 | Girish Maruti Ernak | 147 | 362 |
| 7 | Sandeep Narwal | 99 | 285 |
| 8 | Mohammadreza Shadloui | 92 | 354 |
| 9 | Parvesh Bhainswal | 160 | 348 |
| 10 | Ravinder Pahal | 124 | 339 |
Top 10 defenders with the most High 5s in PKL 11
| Rank | Player | Team | High 5s | Matches | Tackle Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nitesh Kumar | Tamil Thalaivas | 8 | 22 | 77 |
| 2 | Hitesh | UP Yoddhas | 7 | 23 | 74 |
| 3 | Gaurav Khatri | Puneri Paltan | 6 | 21 | 61 |
| 4 | Aman | Puneri Paltan | 5 | 16 | 52 |
| 5 | Jitender Yadav | Gujarat Giants | 5 | 19 | 56 |
| 6 | Nitesh Kumar | Bengal Warriorz | 4 | 21 | 59 |
| 7 | Nitin Rawal | Bengaluru Bulls | 5 | 22 | 74 |
| 8 | Yogesh Dahiya | Dabang Delhi | 5 | 22 | 75 |
| 9 | Mohammadreza Shadloui | Haryana Steelers | 5 | 4 | 82 |
| 10 | Sombir Goswami | U Mumba | 4 | 17 | 43 |
Top 5 Best Debutant Defenders of PKL 11
| Rank | Player Name | Team | Matches Played | Tackle Points | Tackle Success Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Gaurav Chhillar | Dabang Delhi | 15 | 19 | 33% |
| 4 | Sandeep Deswal | Dabang Delhi | 20 | 27 | 34% |
| 3 | Rohit Poonia | Gujarat Giants | 15 | 24 | 40% |
| 2 | Sagar Sethpal | Telugu Titans | 22 | 41 | 35% |
| 1 | Himanshu Jaglan | Gujarat Giants | 18 | 44 | 54% |
