Defenders getting the job done, in a display of quiet confidence, amidst the excitement and anxiety of a ProKabaddi League final, marked the turning point in Bengal Warriors’ triumph this season. Jeeva Kumar anchored the turnaround by tackling the ‘Most Valuable Player’ Naveen Kumar, in the title clash after the eventual champions had endured the shock of an all-out at the start against Dabang Delhi.
Jeeva explained: “We did not panic (after the first all-out). We knew we had the talent and ability to overturn the early lead. Once we tackled Naveen, it was easier to pick up tackle points.” The experienced cover defender has the distinction of finishing on the winning side in two finals out of two he played in his career stretched over seven seasons (first title in 2015 was with U Mumba).
Credit to raiders
He was quick to credit contributions from raiders at that critical stage in the final against Delhi. “Our raiders, especially (captain Mohammad) Nabibakhsh, were scoring points in quick raids as well so we were able to cut the lead easily,” added Jeeva. The defender’s name did not figure in the individual awards list, but he values team wins as much.
Earlier in the semifinal win over U Mumba, Baldev Singh and Jeeva had delivered in the closing stages, catching Arjun Deshwal and Abhishek Singh off-guard as the Warriors sneaked into the final with a 37-35 win at the EKA Arena TransStadia. Incidentally, Baldev finished fifth best overall in the tacklers list for season seven (66 points from 24 games) in only his second league season for Warriors.
Teammate Rinku Jaiswal is sixth (64 tackle points). With 39 tackle points in 22 matches this season, one Super Tackle and no High 5s, Jeeva does not figure among first 10 in season seven, but for first-time champion Bengal Warriors, timely tackling in the semifinal and final makes the India international a prized catch for any team. Warriors had paid ₹ 31 lakh for the cover defender at the players auction, a small investment yielding high returns.
