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Defending champions Puneri Paltan continued to dominate the league standings at the end of the first leg of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 11 in Hyderabad, but it was a closely contested three weeks with all teams fighting for the win till the last whistle of their matches.
Puneri have 30 points in eight matches, but close on their tails are the Telugu Titans, who have 26 points in eight games, having made the most of the home advantage. As season 11 moves out of Hyderabad, Pawan Sehrawat, skipper of the home team, shared his thoughts on the crowd support. "I have never seen such incredible support for any team. The fans here in Hyderabad support us whether we win or lose. This amazing crowd could rival any other stadium's atmosphere. And speaking of performance, our defence has shown only 30-40 per cent of its true potential so far -- they have managed to stop top world-class raiders and we want to continue this form in the upcoming matches," he said. As the league moves to Noida, here is a look at the highlights from the Hyderabad Leg of the tournament: -Top Raiders *Ashu Malik (Dabang Delhi KC) With 97 raid points to his name, Ashu Malik was one of the top players for Dabang Delhi K.C., shouldering the responsibility of his team's raiding department in the absence of skipper Naveen Kumar. A majority of his points came from 83 successful raids as well as 8 Super Raids, taking him to the top of the raiders' list at the end of the Hyderabad leg. *Pawan Sehrawat (Telugu Titans) The hi-flyer showed the home fans his true self in the Hyderabad leg with his exceptional performances for the Telugu Titans. In the eight matches that his team played, he scored 88 raid points, but needed just 66 successful raids to reach this tally. He also scored six Super 10s, with his performances ensuring four straight wins for the Telugu Titans in their last four matches. *Devank Dalal (Patna Pirates) One of the more surprising names on this list, Devank Dalal has been the best raider for the Patna Pirates this season. Having scored a massive 25 points against the Tamil Thalaivas in one game, Devank was pushed into the limelight, and he has not looked back since. His five Super 10s in seven matches has taken his raid points tally to 87, just one behind Pawan Sehrawat, and he will hope to continue this form in the Noida leg. -Top Defenders *Gaurav Khatri (Puneri Paltan) The Puneri Paltan side has been their usual best in season 11, and once again, all the plaudits will fall on their defending. Leading this department in season 11 is Gaurav Khatri, who has 33 tackle points in the eight matches that he has played this season. This includes four High 5s, the most in this season till the end of the Hyderabad leg. *Nitin Rawal (Bengaluru Bulls) Nitin Rawal has been one of the top players for the Bengaluru Bulls at the end of a tough leg for the Pardeep Narwal-led team. He led the Bengaluru Bulls' defence, scoring 26 tackle points in total, including two High 5s and four Super Tackles to his name. *Sumit Sangwan (UP Yoddhas) Sumit Sangwan was the star defender for the UP Yoddhas in the Hyderabad leg, having scored 26 Tackles Points in his seven matches. He did so with 22 successful tackles, and will play a crucial role during his team's home leg. -Preview for Matches on November 11: All eyes will be on Devank Dalal and Ayan Lohchab as the Patna Pirates move to Noida for PKL 11. They will hope to create problems for the Neeraj Kumar-led Gujarat Giants, who are hoping to add to their one win in six matches. In the second match of the day, U Mumba will hope to continue their winning form against the young guns of the Haryana Steelers. Ajit Chouhan has proven his worth, and will hope to give the likes of Jaideep Dahiya and Mohammedreza Shadloui a run for their money. Match 1 - Gujarat Giants vs Patna Pirates - 8 pm Match 2 - U Mumba vs Haryana Steelers - 9 pm. (ANI)
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