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KABADDI 17 July 2026 ยท 22:00 IST 4 min read By Nikhil Patil

Pro Kabaddi Season 11: how the Bengaluru Bulls reset their raid order for the playoffs

A second-half-of-the-season tweak in the raid order - moving Pawan Sehrawat to the second, third and fifth raids - has reshaped the Bulls' rhythm and unlocked their defence. The numbers behind the move, the injury that triggered it and the head coach's reasoning are all on the page.

NP
Nikhil Patil Kabaddi correspondent

Sections

  1. The injury that triggered the change
  2. The new raid order
  3. The numbers behind the move
  4. The playoffs picture
A kabaddi court during a Pro Kabaddi match
The Bulls are seeded second going into the playoffs.

The Bengaluru Bulls have won six of their last seven Pro Kabaddi matches, a run that has taken them from fourth to second in the Season 11 standings. The reason is not a tactical overhaul - it is a single, well-targeted change to the raid order that has reshaped the team's rhythm and unlocked a defence that had been struggling for consistency.

The injury that triggered the change

The change was triggered by the loss of the team's second raider, who suffered a knee injury in match 14 of the season and has been ruled out for the remainder of the campaign. The Bulls' head coach had two options: promote a young academy raider into the second position, or restructure the order around the team's star raider, Pawan Sehrawat.

The coach chose the second option. Sehrawat, who had been rotating through the first, third and fifth raids, was moved into the second, third and fifth positions. The change meant that the team's most reliable raider was now taking the second raid (where the defence is freshest) and the fifth raid (where the defence is most tired).

Sehrawat has scored 47 raid points in the last seven matches, up from 38 in the seven matches before the change. The team's raid conversion rate is up 7 percentage points.

The new raid order

The new order is: first raid - support raider, second raid - Sehrawat, third raid - Sehrawat, fourth raid - support raider, fifth raid - Sehrawat. The change means the team has a high-percentage raid in three of the five positions, with the support raider taking the low-pressure positions.

The new order also changes the way the team's defence is set up. With Sehrawat taking the second raid, the corner combinations are fresher for the third and fifth raids - where Sehrawat is also attacking. The result has been a significant improvement in tackle percentage, up from 47 percent before the change to 54 percent after.

The change is small but the impact is large. Sehrawat is the best raider in the league and now he is getting the ball in the right positions. The defence is fresher when he needs them to be.
- Bengaluru Bulls head coach

The numbers behind the move

Sehrawat has scored 47 raid points in the last seven matches, up from 38 in the seven matches before the change. His raid conversion rate has jumped from 51 percent to 58 percent. The team's overall raid conversion rate is up 7 percentage points, from 44 to 51.

THE NUMBERS

Bengaluru Bulls, last 7 matches: 6W-1L, raid conversion 51% (up from 44%), tackle success 54% (up from 47%), Sehrawat raid points per match 6.7 (up from 5.4).

The playoffs picture

The Bulls are seeded second going into the playoffs, behind the Puneri Paltan and ahead of the Jaipur Pink Panthers on net win rate. The playoff format this season is the top six teams, with the top two getting a bye to the semi-finals. The Bulls need one more win from their remaining two matches to confirm the bye.

If the Bulls beat the Patna Pirates in their final match of the season, they will go into the playoffs with momentum, a settled raid order and a defence that has rediscovered its confidence. If they lose, they could drop to third and face a one-match quarter-final against the Bengal Warriors or the Dabang Delhi.

Editor's verdict

The Bulls are the team to beat in the second half of the season. The raid order change is small but the impact has been significant. If the team can carry the form into the playoffs, they have a real chance of going all the way. The question is whether the support raider can sustain his current level - because if he cannot, the entire structure comes back to Sehrawat, and that is a lot of pressure on one player.

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The wider context

The Pro Kabaddi League is the second-richest indoor sports league in India, behind only the Indian Premier League. The 2025 season generated a broadcast revenue of 240 million US dollars and a brand value estimated at 1.2 billion US dollars. The league runs from October to February, with 12 franchises playing a 132-match regular season.

The Bengaluru Bulls are the most successful franchise in PKL history, with five playoff appearances and one title. The Bulls won the title in Season 7 with a memorable comeback in the final. Pawan Sehrawat has been the face of the franchise since Season 6, when he was named the league's Most Valuable Player.

The playoff format for Season 11 has been changed from the previous format. The top six teams qualify for the playoffs, with the top two getting a bye to the semi-finals. The remaining four teams play quarter-finals, with the winners advancing to the semi-finals. The top two teams in the league phase will be decided on net win rate, then on head-to-head record, then on total points scored.

The Bulls need one more win from their remaining two matches to confirm the bye. Their remaining matches are against the Patna Pirates and the Telugu Titans. The Patna match is at home, the Telugu match is away. The Bulls have won 9 of their last 10 home matches.

CONTEXT AND WHAT COMES NEXT

What else to know

Why this story matters

The story matters because it sits at the intersection of two of the most-watched competitions on the COMESPORTSBUZZ calendar. The combination of the venue, the form of the key players and the tournament context means the outcome will have implications for the rest of the season.

The desk will continue to follow the story through the next match, the next round and the rest of the season. The next live update will be filed as soon as the next session of play begins. The next verdict will be filed inside 30 minutes of full time.

What to watch next

The next session starts at 09:30 IST. The key matchup to watch is the contest between the two captains, with both sides needing a win to consolidate their position in the standings. The desk will publish the predicted XI at 09:00 IST and the toss report at 09:30 IST.

The post-match press conference is scheduled for 18:00 IST. The desk will publish the key quotes inside 15 minutes of the conference ending. The desk will also publish the editor verdict inside 60 minutes of the conference ending.

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