The seventh season of Pro Kabaddi is almost on the brink of its culmination, with a riveting final between Dabang Delhi and Bengal Warriors on the cards. Both teams have made it to the finals for the first time in their history and will be aiming to go the distance and win the title.
Over the past six seasons, the final matches have been quite a spectacle to watch with heaps of twist and turns taking centre-stage. So here we bring you the four most enthralling finals in the history of PKL.
Bengaluru Bulls vs Gujarat Fortunegiants (Season 6)
Bengaluru Bulls were the only team in the league with a 500 raid point aggregate in season six but were facing considerable problems in defence. So, when they were lined up against Gujarat Fortunegiants in the final, it was considered to be a battle between Bengaluru’s lethal attacking prowess and Gujarat’s defensive resolve.
Gujarat were leading 16-9 at halftime but a resounding performance by Bengaluru’s young raider Pawan Kumar Sehrawat turned the tides as he ended up scoring 22 points in the match and single-handedly took Bengaluru to their first title in six seasons. It was a blistering spectacle to witness Pawan tear down Gujarat’s defences and secure a well-deserved victory. In a matter of few minutes, Pawan completely changed the fortunes of his team and ended up becoming the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the season.
Patna Pirates vs Gujarat Fortunegiants (Season 5)
Gujarat were on the receiving end in the fifth season as well when unarguably the best raider in the league, Pardeep Narwal decided to take matters in his own hands. Patna were in search of a third consecutive title and it quickly became a one-sided affair when Pardeep started to find his groove.
Gujarat’s defence had been successful in keeping Pardeep quite in the group stages earlier in the season but the final proved to be a completely different story. Pardeep ended the high-pressure match with a mammoth score of 19 points - 15 raid points and 4 bonus points and effectively executed super raids at critical moments to completely erase Manpreet Singh’s men’s confidence. Patna were victorious at the end of full-time and went on to become the first team in the league’s history to complete a hattrick of titles.
Jaipur Pink Panthers vs Patna Pirates (Season 4)
In one of the most closely fought finals in the history of the competition, Jaipur Pink Panthers had Patna Pirates in their grasp for most of the two halves but faltered towards the end. Playing their second PKL final, Jaipur relied on Jasvir Singh to see them through, but a poor defensive show became their ultimate misery. They were unable to handle Pardeep’s speed and his agility proved too strong for them to get hold of.
Pardeep put up another spectacular show gaining 16 points and led Patna to their second consecutive title win with a 37-29 scoreline. Patna’s then captain, Dharmaraj Cheralathan lifted the Pro Kabaddi trophy and Pardeep became the recipient of another award.
U Mumba vs Bengaluru Bulls (Season 2)
Reaching the final for the second consecutive time, U Mumba stood face-to-face with Bengaluru Bulls in the ultimate match. As expected, the final did go down to the wire. U Mumba’s raider Shabeer Bapu delivered a match-winning performance, picking up 10 total points. He was ably assisted by Vishal Mane in defence. A couple of tricky instances lured Bengaluru to score some quick points, but the cohesive unit of Mumbai’s defence was alert and up to the task.
Mumbai’s captain Anup Kumar stepped in and gained crucial points when the match was tied at 23-23. In the end, it was Anup and Shabeer who kept their cool and ensured that the points were being scored consistently. Eventually, Mumbai ended up outsmarting Bengaluru for the title and lifted the trophy.
Read: Top four decisive performances from past Pro Kabaddi finals
Feature image courtesy: Star Sports & Pro Kabaddi
