Three-time champions Patna Pirates have commenced their Pro Kabaddi League Season 8 campaign on the right note. With 40 points from 11 matches, they occupy the second spot in the points table as of this writing and have established themselves as a strong contender for the winner’s trophy.
After failing to make the playoffs in the last two editions of the tournament, the Pirates are gybing their stern firmly in response to the upwind challenges posed by their opposition.
Having said that, here are five things you should know about the Patna Pirates this season.
#5 Patna Pirates have the most number of tackle points
With 130 tackle points to their name, the Pirates occupy pole position on the leaderboard. They have a 44.66% successful tackle percentage and stand second on the list only behind Tamil Thalaivas.
The Pirates’ defensive solidity has helped them inflict 13 All Outs on the opposition, the third-highest among all teams. With an average of 11.82 tackle points per game, the Ram Mehar Singh-coached side knows where their trump card lies.
#4 Patna Pirates defender Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh has been their silent assassin
Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh attempts a lunging ankle-hold on a raider
The Iranians are known for their defensive prowess and the Patna Pirates wasted no time in showing their intentions on a young Mohaamadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh at the PKL 8 auction. Nabbing him with a whopping 31 lakh rupees, the 21-year-old became the costliest pick among foreigners.
Shadloui has proved his mettle by picking up 30 tackle points so far, courtesy of his crunching signature ankle-holds. He occupies the fourth position on the leaderboard and will be eager to climb up places as the season progresses.
#3 Patna Pirates are fourth from bottom in terms of average raid points
It is tough for a kabaddi team to balance both their raiding and defensive units. As a result, they focus on strengthening one attribute, while working on the other just enough to not make it seem like a liability.
The Pirates have just 18.91 raid points per game and are only ahead of Tamil Thalaivas, U Mumba, and Puneri Paltan. They often find themselves in a Do-or-Die situation. As a result, they have 37 raid points from that avenue, the fourth-highest among all the teams.
#2 Not a single Patna Pirates raider feature in the top 15 list of raid points per game
As a team, Patna Pirates bank on their defensive solidity, hence their raiders get less opportunity to amass points. Sachin Tanwar averages the highest raid points per game (6.18) for their side but finds himself sixteenth on the leaderboard.
Patna’s other representatives Monu Goyat (5.89) and captain Prasanth Kumar Rai (5.73) occupy the eighteenth and nineteenth positions respectively and are unlikely to break into the top 10 by the end of the season.
#1 Patna Pirates have conceded the least All Outs
Patna Pirates defenders watch on
PKL teams often depend on individual brilliance to win them ties but their plans go into disarray when the player in question loses his form. Consequently, the side suffers multiple All Outs throughout the course of the competition and loses momentum.
The Patna Pirates have conceded just 8 All Outs so far, the least among all the participating teams. This is because they are not overdependent on a single individual and all the seven teammates depend on each other while defending.