The first edition of the RuPay Pro Volleyball League (PVL) which happened in Kochi has been a successful affair. The first leg of the competition, that began from 2nd February, attracted a record 14.3 million viewers on the Sony Pictures Network (SPN) India.
The first seven matches garnered an average viewership of 2.9 million, further demonstrating the significant popularity that the league has elicited over a short period of time.
RuPayPVL is a SMASHING HIT! Heartfelt thanks to all our fans and sponsors who've been supporting us from day 1! #ThrillKaCall #RuPayPVL pic.twitter.com/sNKGozlGcO
— Pro Volleyball (@ProVolleyballIN) February 15, 2019
With the second leg scheduled to take place in Chennai from today, we take a detailed look at team’s performances in the first leg.
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PVL Points Table
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Lost | Points | Set Difference | Points Difference |
| 1 | Calicut Heroes | 5 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 13 | 70 |
| 2 | Kochi Blue Spikers | 5 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 2 |
| 3 | Hyderabad Black Hawks | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | -3 | -20 |
| 4 | Chennai Spartans | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | -1 | -10 |
| 5 | U Mumba Volley | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | -5 | -16 |
| 6 | Ahmedabad Defenders | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | -5 | -26 |
PVL: Performance so Far
Calicut Heroes have been the top performers of the season. The team from the east has won all the five matches they have played in, giving them an unassailable lead of 11 points at the top. What is striking is their point difference in those five 5 matches – 70. The figure is staggering considering that Calicut and Kochi Blue Spikers (2) are the only two teams to have a positive point points difference.
What has worked for the table toppers is their all-round performance. In the spiking departments, India’s Ajith Lal (64 spiking points) and Jerome Vinith (56) have impressed. Calicut also lead the table in the points from serves (43 points), with Karthik A (15 points) and Jerome Vinith (10 points) topping here as well.
Kochi Within Touching Distance
Kochi Blue Spikers are the team who are close on heels of Calicut. They have the league high of 22 Super points from 5 matches, four more than the Heroes. USA’s David Lee has been a standout performer for the team. The veteran Middle Blocker has garnered 14 block points in five matches, second highest in the league. He is also Spikers’ top scorer at 45 points.
Hyderabad Black Hawks had started their campaign on a strong note with a 3-2 win over Ahmedabad Defenders. However, their form soon faded as a three-match losing streak. Nonetheless, the Black Hawks came back to winning ways against U Mumba, in the last match of the first leg.
Chennai Spartan have won a solitary match, a big 4-1 victory over Hyderabad, while U Mumba Volley and Ahmedabad Defenders are yet to open their PVL account.
The second leg of PVL starts from today at Chennai.
