In cricket, there are two types of players, players who bat and players who bowl (excluding all-rounders). Similarly, kabaddi also has two basic sets of players, raiders and defenders.
If you don’t know what they are, then allow us to explain quickly. Raiders are the players who enter the opposing team’s court and try to touch as many opponents as possible. On the other hand, defenders are those players who are tasked with stopping the opponent team’s raiders.
For over a decade, the PKL has brought out many outstanding defenders, each one better than the last, and in this article, we will look at the Pro Kabaddi League’s top defenders of each season.
Also Read | Top Raiders of All Seasons
Pro Kabaddi League 2023 Points Table
Pro Kabaddi League 2023 Schedule
Top Defenders of Pro Kabaddi League: Season 1 to 10
Here are the players who earned the title of being the ‘Top Defender’ in each season of the Pro Kabaddi League.
| Season | Year | Top Defender | Successful Tackles | Team |
| Season 1 | 2014 | Manjeet Chillar | 51 | Bengaluru Bulls |
| Season 2 | 2015 | Sandeep Kandola | 55 | Telugu Titans |
| Season 3 | 2016 (January) | Manjeet Chillar | 56 | Puneri Paltan |
| Season 4 | 2016 (June) | Amit Hooda | 47 | Jaipur Pink Panthers |
| Season 5 | 2017 | Surendra Nada | 74 | Haryana Steelers |
| Season 6 | 2018-19 | Nitesh Kumar | 92 | UP Yoddhas |
| Season 7 | 2019 | Fazel Atrachali | 77 | U Mumba |
| Season 8 | 2021-22 | Mohammadreza Chiyaneh | 76 | Patna Pirates |
| Season 9 | 2022 | Ankush | 84 | Jaipur Pink Panthers |
| Season 10 | 2023-24 | TBA | TBA | TBA |
Top 10 Defenders of Pro Kabaddi League All-Time
Each season a new player shines as the top defender of that season, however, there is one player who rose above everyone else to become the best defender of all time. Fazel Atrachali is the Pro Kabaddi League's top defender of all time. Let’s take a look:
| Player | Successful Tackles | Matches Played | |
| 1. | FAZEL ATRACHALI | 400 | 153 |
| 2. | Manjeet Chillar | 374 | 132 |
| 3. | Girish Maruti Ernak | 343 | 143 |
| 4. | Sandeep Narwal | 330 | 156 |
| 5. | Surjeet Singh | 127 | 324 |
| 6. | Ravinder Pahal | 320 | 124 |
| 7. | Nitesh Kumar | 290 | 113 |
| 8. | Parvesh Bhainswal | 271 | 122 |
| 9. | Sandeep Dhull | 269 | 102 |
| 10. | Sunil Kumar | 264 | 114 |
The 10th season of the Pro Kabaddi League will begin on December 2, 2023, and will last until February 21, 2024. The defender that accumulates the most points by tackling opposing team raiders will be crowned the 'Top Defender' of Season 10. Stay tuned to find out who wins this year.
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