Pune
After racking up an emphatic win against three-time champion Patna Pirates on the opening night in Chennai, its campaign has gone downhill. Thalaivas failed to register a win in its last four matches of the home leg and is yet to muster successive victories in this edition. As teams gear up for the business end of the league stage, the Chennai-based franchise has an onerous task in hand if it seeks to seal a spot in the ‘Super play-offs’.
The cut-off for qualifying to the next round in Pro Kabaddi 2017 was 60 points, which UP Yoddha achieved with eight wins and four ties. Edachery Bhaskaran’s men will have to win at least seven fixtures from now on to have an outside chance of making it to the last six stage.
The head coach has still not found out his best starting seven on the mat. With only nine encounters remaining, Edachery will have to deliver a tactical masterclass as his team is expected to make a late surge. Captain Ajay Thakur has gone about his business really well, but has received little support from other raiders. MS Athul, Sukesh Hegde, Jasvir Singh and Surjeet Singh have been far from consistent and it is hurting the side badly. Same is the case with the defensive department as well. No one apart from Manjeet Chhillar has put their hand up at crucial junctures, letting winning situations slip from their hands.
Edachery and assistant coach Naveen Kumar are in the middle of a real conundrum, but are capable of rescuing the sinking ship. In this ‘Do or Die’ situation, Thalaivas first face the high-flying Bengaluru Bulls at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex here. Against Bulls, Thalaivas will have to contain the raiding trio of Rohit Kumar, Pawan Kumar Sehrawat and Kashiling Adake to come up trumps in the ‘Southern derby’. Bengaluru, which will play its home leg here, has had a brilliant season so far. A win against it could just kick-start its push towards a place in the knockout phase.
Visit news.dtnext.in to explore our interactive epaper!
Download the DT Next app for more exciting features!
Click here for iOS
Click here for Android