Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 22 : After the completion of one week of non-stop high-adrenaline action of the Rugby Premier League (RPL), the race to the playoffs is beginning to shape up as teams fight for the top four spots on the points table.
The Hyderabad Heroes are cruising at the moment, winning all five of their matches so far and are on top of the standings with 19 points. In a close second, there is Chennai Bulls with 17 points; however, they have a game in hand, as per a release from RPL.
Bengaluru Bravehearts are in third place too, with 13 points. The Bravehearts made a slow start to the tournament but have had impressive performances over the last few games and could score crucial points in the upcoming week.
With two wins and a draw in five games, Delhi Redz stand fourth with seven points and will hope to improve in the coming games. In the last match, they lost to Kalinga Black Tigers, who stand fifth with five points in six games.
Mumbai Dreamers are at the bottom of the leaderboard as they are yet to register a win in six matches played. Despite making 97 tackles in total, the second-highest in the league statistically, the Dreamers need to work on their scoring as they stand last in terms of tries scored.
With only six matchdays remaining in the league stage, the competition is set to get intense. Here is how the teams and players have fared so far in the inaugural season of RPL:
Most Tries:
Joji Nasova (Hyderabad Heroes) - 7
Vaafauese Maliko (Chennai Bulls) - 7
Javed Hussein (Hyderabad Heroes) - 6
Philip Wokorach (Bengaluru Bravehearts) - 6
Joseva Talacolo (Chennai Bulls) - 5
Most Points:
Akuila Rokolisoa (Bengaluru Bravehearts) - 42
Joji Nasova (Hyderabad Heroes) - 37
Vaafauese Maliko (Chennai Bulls) - 35
Philip Wokorach (Bengaluru Bravehearts) - 32
Javed Hussain (Hyderabad Heroes) - 30
Most Conversions:
Akuila Rokolisoa (Bengaluru Bravehearts) - 11
Terio Tamani (Hyderabad Heroes) - 9
Joaquin Pellandini (Chennai Bulls) - 9
Maurice Longbottom (Kalinga Black Tigers) - 7
Matias Osadczuk (Delhi Redz) - 5
Most Tackles:
Lucas Lacamp (Kalinga Black Tigers) - 16
Filipe Sauturaga (Chennai Bulls) - 16
Joseva Talacolo (Chennai Bulls) - 16
Joaquin Pellandini (Chennai Bulls) - 16
Henry Hutchison (Mumbai Dreamers) - 14
Most Assists:
Terio Tamani (Hyderabad Heroes) - 6
Maurice Longbottom (Kalinga Black Tigers) - 5
Filipe Sauturaga (Chennai Bulls) - 5
Lautaro Bazan (Hyderabad Heroes) - 4
James Turner (Mumbai Dreamers) - 4
Tone Ng (Bengaluru Bravehearts) - 4
Most Offloads:
Joseva Talacolo (Chennai Bulls) - 14
Filipe Sauturaga (Chennai Bulls) - 12
Philip Wokorach (Bengaluru Bravehearts) - 9
James Turner (Mumbai Dreamers) - 9
Perry Baker (Kalinga Black Tigers) - 7
Waisea Nacuqu (Mumbai Dreamers) - 7
Most Points (Indian):
Javed Hussain (Hyderabad Heroes) - 30
Aryan Dixit (Chennai Bulls) - 10
Deepak Punia (Delhi Redz) - 9
Akash Balmiki (Mumbai Dreamers) - 9
Most Tackles (Indian):
Muhammad Jasim (Chenna Bulls) - 12
Mohit Khatri (Bengaluru Bravehearts) - 12
Prashant Singh (Bengaluru Bravhearts) - 11
Ajay Deswal (Kalinga Black Tigers) - 8
Neeraj Khatri (Mumbai Dreamers) - 7
Most Points (Marquee Players):
Akuila Rokolisoa (Bengaluru Bravehearts) - 42
Joji Nasova (Hyderabad Heroes) - 37
Matias Osadczuk (Delhi Redz) - 25
Joseva Talacolo (Chennai Bulls) - 25
Terio Tamani (Hyderabad Heroes) - 23
Most Points (Bridge Players):
Vaafauese Maliko (Chennai Bulls) - 35
Philip Wokorach (Bengaluru Bravehearts) - 32
Kyle Tremblay (Kalinga Black Tigers) - 15
Liam Poultan (Bengaluru Bravehearts) - 15
Wolfram Hacker (Hyderabad Heroes) - 10
Most Tries (Team):
Hyderabad Heroes - 25
Chennai Bulls - 21
Bengaluru Bravehearts - 19
Kalinga Black Tigers - 14
Delhi Redz - 13
Mumbai Dreamers - 10
Most Points (Team):
Hyderabad Heroes - 153
Chennai Bulls - 133
Bengaluru Bravhearts - 125
Kalinga Black Tigers - 88
Delhi Redz - 84
Mumbai Dreamers - 65
Most Conversions (Team):
Bengaluru Bravehearts - 15
Hyderabad Heroes - 14
Chennai Bulls - 14
Kalinga Black Tigers - 9
Delhi Redz - 8
Mumbai Dreamers - 4
Most Tackles (Team):
Chennai Bulls - 117
Mumbai Dreamers - 91
Hyderabad Heroes - 87
Kalinga Black Tigers - 82
Bengaluru Bravehearts - 81
Delhi Redz - 69
Biggest margin of wins:
Hyderabad Heroes 43-7 Bengaluru Bravehearts (June 17)
Hyderabad Heroes 43-12 Kalinga Black Tigers (June 19)
Bengaluru Bravehearts 26-0 Chennai Bulls (June 20)
Bengaluru Bravehearts 35-10 Kalinga Black Tigers (June 16)
Chennai Bulls 24-5 Mumbai Dreamers (June 15).
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