Vivo Pro Kabaddi League Weekly Round Up: Dabang Delhi Kc's Naveen Kumar And Bengal Warriors' Girish Maruti Ernak Among Top Performers

• Season 9 of the vivo Pro Kabaddi League will be broadcast live on the Star Sports Network and Disney+ Hotstar from 7:30 PM onwards.

Bengaluru, 14^th October 2022: The first week of the vivo Pro Kabaddi League Season 9 witnessed several intense contests at the Shree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru. Dabang Delhi KC's Captain Naveen Kumar has been an inspirational player for his side with 41 raid points, helping his team climb to the top of the standings with 15 points.

Let's take a look at the top raiders, defenders, and contests in the first week of the Vivo Pro Kabaddi League Season 9.

Top raiders of the week: 

1. Naveen Kumar (Dabang Delhi KC) 
   
   

Naveen Kumar has taken to captaincy like a fish to water. The star raider has shown top form in the first week with a total of 41 raid points. His quick and agile raiding technique has helped his team tremendously this season. Naveen also helped Delhi become the first side in vivo PKL Season 9 to score more than 50 points when they defeated Gujarat Giants 53-33.

2. Rakesh (Gujarat Giants) 

Even though the Gujarat Giants are yet to register a victory in the season so far, their raider Rakesh has been in top form. He has notched 28 points and has been single-handedly leading the raiders' charge for Gujarat. With multiple skills such as running hand touches and dubkis, Rakesh has been a menacing raider.

3. Arjun Deshwal (Jaipur Pink Panthers) 

The star raider is continuing from where he left off last season. The raider, who uses his strength and speed brilliantly, has picked up 25 points in the season so far. Deshwal single-handedly helped Jaipur defeat Patna Pirates by contributing with 17 points.  

Top Defenders of the Week: 

1. Girish Maruti Ernak (Bengal Warriors) 

Girish Ernak has emerged as the best defender in the competition so far with 14 tackle points. His brute strength and the ability to carry out ankle holds efficiently has made him a very important part of the Bengal Warriors camp.

2. Saurabh Nandal (Bengaluru Bulls) 

Another ankle-hold specialist Saurabh Nandal has led the charge for Bengaluru's defense unit this season. Saurabh has scored 10 tackle points in the vivo Pro Kabaddi League Season 9 so far.

3. Ankush (Jaipur Pink Panthers) 

Taking the responsibility of making the first move on a raider for his team on most occasions, Ankush has amassed 7 tackle points this season. He has been the backbone of the Jaipur defense helping them register their first victory of the season against Patna Pirates.

Top Contests of the week: 

1. Bengaluru Bulls beat Puneri Paltan 41-39 (Match 9)

The most thrilling match of the season so far was played out between Puneri and Bengaluru. The Bulls had attained a 14-point lead at the end of the first half, but Puneri levelled the scores at 35-35 in the second half. However, Vikash Kandola pulled off a couple of raids in the end to help his team emerge victorious.

2. Patna Pirates tied 34-34 with Puneri Paltan (Match 4) 

The vivo Pro Kabaddi League Season 9 witnessed its first tied game when Patna Pirates and Puneri Paltan took on each other. The teams were locked at 34-34 in the final minute of the match. Thereafter, both sides didn't want to take risks and were satisfied with a tie.

3. Gujarat Giants tied 31-31 with Tamil Thalaivas (Match 5)

The Tamil Thalaivas lost their Captain and star raider Pawan Sehrawat early in the match due to an injury, but the Thalaivas' debutant Narender rose to the occasion and ensured that his team gave a tough fight to Gujarat. In the end, both sides were happy to tie the game.

Season 9 of the vivo Pro Kabaddi League will be broadcast live on the Star Sports Network and Disney+ Hotstar from 7:30 PM onwards.

Please find the link to match photos here:  

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1cZpsSvQKHflJuixGvt5XbDp62h9hJFAR?usp=sharing

Fans can book the tickets only on BookMyShow for Season 9 of vivo Pro Kabaddi League.

For all live updates on vivo Pro Kabaddi league, log on to www.prokabaddi.com, download the Official ProKabaddi app or follow @prokabaddi on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook and Twitter.

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