Ludhiana, Sep 4 (IANS): Khalsa Warriors will be looking to continue their winning streak as World Kabaddi League comes to Punjab, the home of the sport, at the Prithipal Singh Astro Turf Hockey Stadium, Punjab Agricultural University, here Saturday.
Khalsa Warriors, who have won each of their four matches, will take on Punjab Thunder in the opening match of the Ludhiana-leg. Khalsa Warriors have a very balanced team with an ideal mix of raiders and stoppers. Even the likes of Gagandeep Singh Jogewal have excelled as a raider. He had 64 successful raids of the total of 278 points that his team has scored while stopper Satnam Singh Sattu with 16 stops has also been a star performer.
But the man, who has been a big hero so far has been the diminutive but slippery raider, Manminder Singh Saran of Yo Yo Tigers. Standing just five foot six and tipping the scales at 95 kg, he has been the top raider in the League with 71 successful raids and has contributed nearly 30 per cent of his team’s total tally of 243 points.
Manminder’s contribution has seen Yo Yo Tiger getting to joint second place with Lahore Lions. Manminder has also won the most ‘Man of the Match’ Awards, getting the honour in three of his team’s four matches and he has been their leading raider in all games.
The team from Pakistan, Lahore Lions, have been well served by their raiders, Akmal Shazad Dogar and Shafiq Ahmad Chisti, who have made 69 and 67 successful raids. Put together they have contributed more than half their team’s total of 255 points.
The raiders have been much in focus and their speed and agility have combined to give them an edge. With the focus on one-on-one battles, the Raiders have generally managed to get the better of Stoppers.
Most of the matches have been very closely fought with just four of them seeing a margin of over 20 points, while as many as five matches have seen a margin of less than 10 points.
Khalsa Warriors have been most successful with 278 points and have conceded just 201, while Lahore Lions have scored 255 and conceded 219. Yo Yo Tigers have scored 243 and given away 240.