Pro Kabaddi League Season 11 is in full swing and the ongoing campaign has produced nothing short of high-octane and exhilarating kabaddi action that has left fans breathless and on the edge of their seats. Telugu Titans’ victory over U Mumba on Wednesday in Match 66 of PKL Season 11 marked the halfway point of the league with a further 66 league games remaining before the playoffs get underway in late December.

One glance at the Season 11 standings at the halfway point of the campaign throws up plenty of surprises and talking points when compared to the position of teams at the same stage in PKL 10. Here, we take a closer look at just how all 12 franchises in the league are currently faring while taking into account exactly where they were in the standings at the same point last season.

Bengal Warriorz

Season 7 Pro Kabaddi champions, Bengal Warriorz find themselves in a similar position in the standings of the ongoing campaign compared to where they were at the same stage last season. While the Warriorz were ninth in the PKL 10 standings with 28 points after 66 matches, they are currently in 10th spot with 23 points in the Season 11 points table albeit having played one lesser match. One big difference about Bengal Warriorz from the last season to the current one is that Nitin Kumar Dhankhar has taken on the mantle of being the team’s main raider from Maninder Singh and is currently the team’s best attacker with 91 raid points in 10 games.

Bengaluru Bulls

Another former PKL-winning team, Bengaluru Bulls have been enduring a rather forgettable campaign this time around. The Bulls are, in fact, worse off in Season 11 than they were at the same stage in PKL 10. While Bengaluru Bulls were just outside of the playoff reckoning in the seventh spot with 31 points after 66 matches last season, they find themselves languishing at the bottom with 14 points in Season 11. The Bulls still have an outside chance of making the playoffs should there be a dramatic upturn in form, although that scenario seems highly unlikely judging by recent results.

Dabang Delhi K.C.

Even though Dabang Delhi K.C. are seventh and on course for the playoffs in the ongoing campaign, the Season 8 champions are currently five spots and five points off from where they were in PKL 10 at the same stage. They were in second spot with 40 points from 11 games in Season 10 but currently have 35 points after 12 games and are seventh. However, one thing that has been common for the team in both seasons is the scintillating form of their star raider Ashu Malik, who finished as the joint top-scoring raider in the last campaign with 276 raid points. He’s currently first on the raiding charts for Season 11 with 139 raid points so far.

Gujarat Giants

Perhaps one of the biggest talking points to emerge from Season 11 has been the downturn or rather lack of form of Gujarat Giants. One of the most consistent teams in the league, the Giants had reached the playoffs in four of the six PKL seasons in which they had previously competed in. They finished fourth in the standings last season with 70 points from 22 games before losing to Haryana Steelers in Eliminator 2 in the previous campaign. Season 11 though has been a completely different story for Gujarat Giants who find themselves rooted to the eleventh position in the standings with 15 points from 11 games having secured two wins so far. At the same stage last season, the Giants were third in the PKL 10 standings with 39 in 11 matches - a far cry from the current predicament that they find themselves in the ongoing season.

Haryana Steelers

After finishing runners-up last season, Haryana Steelers seem to have gone from strength to strength as they lead the Pro Kabaddi Season 11 standings at the moment. With 41 points after 11 matches, the Steelers are perched on top of the PKL 11 points table and are also the team that has registered the most number of wins (8) in the campaign so far. At the same stage last season, Haryana Steelers were positioned sixth in the PKL 10 standings having secured 34 points from 11 games - seven fewer than they have at the moment. Needless to say, Haryana Steelers won’t be resting on their laurels and will instead be hoping to kick on in a bid for their maiden PKL title.

Jaipur Pink Panthers

Two-time Pro Kabaddi champions Jaipur Pink Panthers are pretty much on the same trajectory in the ongoing season as they were in the last. The Panthers finished second on the league phase points table last season with 92 points in 22 games before suffering a defeat at the hands of Haryana Steelers in semi-final 2. After 66 games in PKL 10, Jaipur Pink Panthers were fourth last season with 38 points from 10 games, which is three less than the 35 points they have in 10 games in PKL 11. Currently sixth in the PKL 11 standings, the Panthers are once again expected to reach the playoffs, at the very least.

Patna Pirates

Patna Pirates seem like one of the more improved teams this season and look on course for another playoff appearance, at the very least. The three-time PKL champions finished the league stage last season in sixth spot with 69 points from 22 games. They seem set to break that points tally this season considering they already have 38 points in 11 games, which is nine more than the 29 points they had after 11 matches in PKL 10. Currently in third place in the ongoing campaign, it wouldn’t come as much of a surprise if the Pirates clinch a direct spot in the semi-finals by finishing among the top two spots at the end of the league phase.

Puneri Paltan

Puneri Paltan, meanwhile, haven’t been at their impressive best this season after producing one of the best PKL campaigns ever last time around. Winners of Season 10, Puneri Paltan finished the league stage of the previous edition of PKL on top spot with 96 points after 22 games. They were also in top position in the standings at the halfway point in PKL 10 with 46 points after 10 games. However, the current season hasn’t been as smooth sailing for the Paltan who find themselves in fourth spot with 37 points after 11 games. They’ve already lost more matches this season (3) than they did in the entirety of the last campaign (2) and will need to put their best foot forward to successfully defend their PKL title, especially in the absence of their injured skipper Aslam Inamdar.

Tamil Thalaivas

Despite a slight improvement in their points tally at this stage of the season when compared to the previous campaign, Tamil Thalaivas still have lots to do if they want to be a part of the playoffs’ conversation come the business end of the season. The Thalaivas finished ninth in the standings last season with 51 points and are currently eighth on the points table with 28 points after 66 PKL 11 matches. Interestingly, they were 11th with 19 points from 11 games at the same stage last season and even though they have performed slightly better in the ongoing season, the Thalaivas will be aware that they must do much more to secure a playoff berth.

Telugu Titans

Easily one of the most improved teams in PKL, Telugu Titans have exorcised the demons of their underwhelming campaign last time around by ensuring they are in the playoff reckoning in Season 11. The Titans finished bottom of the standings in PKL 10 with 21 points in 22 games and they had 9 points after 11 games at the same stage in the league last season. However, Season 11 has witnessed a revitalised and transformed Telugu Titans working as a team to secure 37 points in 11 games after managing seven wins and four defeats. They are fifth in the Season 11 standings and are very much in the playoff reckoning, which is a luxury Telugu Titans fans haven’t always been accustomed to, especially in recent years.

U Mumba

Like Haryana Steelers, U Mumba have been one of the most impressive teams on display in Pro Kabaddi Season 11. The Season 2 champions finished 10th in the standings in the last campaign with 45 points from 22 games. That said, they were faring well at the halfway stage in the league in PKL 10 as their 35 points in 11 games after the first 66 matches last season suggests. Similarly, U Mumba find themselves in second spot in the current season’s standings with 40 points in 12 games. However, unlike last season, U Mumba will be hoping that they don’t fade and fall away from the playoff reckoning in the second half of the season, especially considering what a strong position they are in at the moment.

UP Yoddhas

UP Yoddhas will be glad that they’ve fared marginally better after the halfway point of the season when compared to the previous edition of PKL. However, it must be noted that the Yoddhas still have loads of scope for further improvement. They finished second from bottom in PKL 10 after managing 31 points in 22 games and were in 10th spot with 21 points from 12 games following 66 PKL games last season. They currently have 28 points in 10 games and sit in ninth spot in the points table. That said, their marginal improvement from last season gives them an outside chance of still making the playoffs which wasn’t the case in the previous edition. UP Yoddhas’ fans will be hoping that they can stitch together a string of wins and push for a playoff berth in the second half of the season.

Catch all the LIVE action from Pro Kabaddi Season 11 on the Star Sports Network and on Disney+ hotstar.

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