Dabang Delhi's winning run came to a halt, the 'Girish Ernak show' continued in full swing, Pardeep Narwal achieved yet another milestone and the Iranians finally made an impact - the third week of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL 9) was filled with high-octane action.
Here are the major highlights of the third week of PKL9 in numbers:
1
Wins in seven games for Telugu Titans. Despite having a stellar squad, the serial wooden-spoon contenders have had no joy this season. They've lost their last four matches and only have seven points to their name...in as many games.
2
After winning six games on the trot, Dabang Delhi has succumbed to two successive losses: against Patna Pirates and Bengal Warriors. Dabang Delhi, despite the defeats, continues to top the table.
7
Tackle points for UP Yoddhas' Sumit against the perennially-struggling Tamil Thalaivas. The left-corner was in sublime form with six successful tackles in eight attempts and also went past the 150 tackle points mark along the way. Sahul Kumar of Jaipur Pink Panthers also picked up seven tackle points in his team's clash with the Telugu Titans.
24
Jaipur Pink Panthers produced the biggest winning margin of the week as they outclassed 51-27. Telugu Titans. It was the perfect display of an all-around display from the former champions as Arjun Deshwal and Rahul Chaudhari bagged 20 raid points amongst them, while the defence picked up an impressive 17 tackle points.
29
Girish Maruti Ernak's splendid season continues as the veteran continues to remain PKL9's best defender with 29 tackle points. The Bengal Warriors' muscleman also has three High5s to his name and currently holds the orange sleeve (awarded to the defender with the most tackle points).
-80
Telugu Titans' score difference. It's a telling number - the team has conceded 266 points [the joint-most] and scored a measly 186 points (second-worst in PKL9).
91
Dabang Delhi might have lost two back-to-back games but the Naveen Express is motoring away. The Dabang Delhi skipper tops the list for raid points with 91 and has picked up seven successive Super 10s along the way. He averages an impressive 13 points per game.
100
Mohammadreza Shadlou Chiyaneh, the best defender last season, brought up his century of tackle points earlier this week. The Iranian had a subdued start to the season but bagged seven points in the last two games. And Patna Pirates were undefeated in both of those matches, thereby finally ending their barren start to the season. Coincidence much?
300
Jaipur Pink Panthers' V Ajith Kumar has gone past the 300-point milestone in his third PKL season. Ajith, playing as the third raider this season, has 21 points from seven games.
500
Siddharth Desai and Prashant Kumar Rai completed 500 raid points in PKL. Siddarth Desai hasn't been in the form that earned him the moniker Baahubali but he has another milestone to his name as he becomes the 16th raider to cross the 500-point mark in 53 matches. Prashant Kumar, who captained Patna Pirates to the final last campaign, is with Gujarat Giants this season.
1400
Pardeep Narwal is called the Record Breaker for a reason. He continues to stamp his class as PKL's most successful raider by going past 1400 raid points. He's announced that he wants to cross the 1600 raid points mark this season. That's anything but music to your ears if you're a defender!