The perennial favorites Bengaluru Bulls are goring with full force in the 2021-22 season of the Pro Kabaddi League and showing no mercy to the opposition. With 39 points from 11 matches, they occupy the third position as of this writing.
The Pawan Sehrawat-led side has suffered just three losses and is breathing down the neck of the Patna Pirates and Dabang Delhi for a spot in the top two. The Bulls won their first PKL trophy in the sixth season and will be looking forward to getting more silverware to their name.
Here are five things you should know about Bengaluru Bulls if you have not been following them this season.
#5 Bengaluru Bulls captain Pawan Sehrawat leads the raiding chart
Bengaluru Bulls captain Pawan Sehrawat in action
The seventh season of PKL was billed as a raiding competition between Maninder Singh, Naveen Kumar, and Pawan Sehrawat. So far, it is the latter who has been at the top.
Pawan has 151 raid points to his name from 11 matches, the most in the league, with a strike rate of 67%. Making the most of his agility, the ‘Hi-Flyer’ has a knack for escaping the most gripping tackles and earning vital points for his side.
#4 Bengaluru Bulls crushed Dabang Delhi 61-22 in the biggest victory of PKL 8
Bengaluru Bulls defeated Dabang Delhi by a 39-point margin to register the biggest win of the season. Pawan alone had 27 raid points in the game as opposed to the opposition’s overall tally of 22 points.
The Bulls’ defense also showed no mercy as the trio of Saurabh Nandal, Mahender Singh, and Aman picked up 3 tackle points apiece and inflicted five ‘All Outs.’ The win has resulted in Bengaluru having the highest point difference in the league.
#3 Bengaluru Bulls has the second-highest number of successful tackles
While we all know that the Bulls are lethal while surging forward, they are equally threatening while staying back and pouncing on their prey. With 122 tackle points to their name, they are only behind the Patna Pirates, who have 130 points from that avenue.
The Bulls have a tackle success percentage of 40.82%, with only the Pirates and the Tamil Thalaivas ahead of them. Unlike other teams who depend on two defenders to come up with points, Bengaluru relies on their team’s cohesiveness to take down their opponents. Hence, only one Bulls defender finds himself on the list of top 10 tackle points.
#2 Bengaluru Bulls have inflicted the most All Outs this season
Bengaluru Bulls defenders pile their bodies on the body of a raider
Inflicting an ‘All Out’ on the opposition is a tough task as you need to overwhelm them both on defense and offense. The Bulls have done that a staggering 18 times, four more than their closest competitor Tamil Thalaivas.
The Bulls have lost only thrice this season and in all those contests, they were unable to inflict an All-Out on the opposition. It is safe to say that whenever Bengaluru successfully restricts all the opposition players to the bench, they either win or draw the game.
#1 Bengaluru Bulls matches average the highest number of points
Whenever Bengaluru Bulls step onto the mat, the contests see plenty of points on offer. Skewed by their encounter against Delhi, the average Bulls game features 72.27 points per game.
Bengaluru averages the highest raid points per game and finds themselves third in terms of tackle points. Having amassed 423 total points from 11 matches, they occupy the top spot in terms of total points scored and are third in terms of total points conceded.