Puneri Paltan were crowned champions of PKL season 10 after an excellent 28-25 win over Haryana Steelers in the final.
For this all-conquering team this season, this was the perfect ending, especially after having lost the final last year to the Jaipur Pink Panthers. Aslam Inamdar led them immaculately, Pankaj Mohite and Mohit Goyat were stellar raiders, Mohammedreza Shadloui Chiyaneh was outstanding in defence, and they were all backed up brilliantly by the likes of Abinesh Nadarajan, Sanket Sawant and Gaurav Khatri.
As Puneri Paltan celebrated a well-deserved championship, here are the highlights of PKL 10, in numbers:
1
Puneri Paltan have won the PKL title for the first time. Puneri Paltan are the seventh different team to win the trophy.
Bonus stat: Haryana Steelers are the first team not ranked among the top 2 at the end of the league stage, to play in a final.
3
Manpreet Singh has been in three finals as a coach and this is his his third loss. He had led Gujarat Giants [then called Gujarat Fortunegiants] to the final in PKL 5 and PKL 6 but finished runners-up on both occasions.
13
Jaipur Pink Panthers earned bragging rights for the longest unbeaten streak in the history of the PKL as they enjoyed a 13-game unbeaten run that included 11 victories and two ties.
63
Telugu Titans won two of their 22 games this season and finished with 21 points to their name. Over the last three years, they have amassed a grand total of 63 points, which would not even be enough for a playoff spot in PKL 10.
70+
Tamil Thalaivas did not have a whole lot to cheer about in PKL 10, but they wrapped up the season with a superb record: they became the first time in PKL to score more than 70 points in a single game. Tamil Thalaivas beat Bengal Warriors 74-37 to clinch a win by a whopping 37-point margin.
96
Puneri Paltan finished the league stage with the most points accumulated by a team since the tournament became a 12-team affair. Puneri Paltan's stunning league-stage campaign saw them finish with 96 points. They were unbeaten in 20 of their 22 matches, which is also a PKL record.
90
The most tackle points by any defender in PKL history. Ever. And who does the record belong to? The one and only, Mohammadreza Shadloui. The Iranian also has another record to his name - he had the most High 5s in 10 seasons - 11.
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Mohammadreza Chiyaneh's double thigh hold in #SemiFinal1 is our Moment of the Day ��#ProKabaddiLeague #ProKabaddi #PKL #PKL10 #HarSaansMeinKabaddi #PKLPlayoffs #PUNvPAT #SemiFinal1 #SemiFinals pic.twitter.com/HUjoxLXl5d
- ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) February 29, 2024
276
Dabang Delhi's Ashu Malik and Jaipur Pink Panthers' Arjun Deshwal are locked on 276 raid points at the end of the season. This poses a unique situation for the organizers - every season's best raider is awarded a Green Sleeve. Who do they give it to this time? Do they get half a sleeve each? This was surely not a part of anyone's PKL 10 bingo card. Intriguing.
1000
A historic milestone for PKL as it became only the second sporting league in India to go past 1000 matches. The 1000th game was won by PKL's most consistent raider Maninder Singh's Bengal Warriors' while the 10001st game marked the dawn of a new era and Jaipur Pink Panthers emerged victorious in that one.
1690
Pardeep Narwal had a poor campaign by his standards, but that did not stop him from etching another milestone to his name. The Dubki King, who seems to have lost his sheen on the mat, became the first raider in PKL history to cross 1600 raid points. He also finished with 85 Super 10s, which also, is yet another PKL record.
₹1,28,690
Telugu Titans broke the bank to sign Asian Games gold medal-winning captain Pawan Sehrawat for a whopping ₹2.605 Cr and made him the most expensive PKL player by a massive margin. Pawan finished with 202 raid points, - which amounts to ~ ₹1.3 lakh per raid point, but that did not stop Telugu Titans from finishing at the bottom of the table for the third consecutive season.