Sportspeople have choked under pressure many times throughout history; it only occurs to the greatest in the profession. Similarly to this, certain Pro Kabaddi League players this year failed to live up to the expectations placed on them. Our list for PKL Season 9 is as follows.
Ajith Kumar
After turning up standout performances for the Tamil Thalaivas and U-Mumba in the previous two seasons, Ajith Kumar was signed by the Jaipur Pink Panthers for a staggering 66 lakh. He has only been able to earn 84 points from 19 matches, which is unsatisfactory when compared to the 159 points from 20 matches in 2021 and the 121 points from 19 matches in 2019.
Abhishek Singh
Abhishek was recruited by the Telugu Titans after scoring 150 points combined in the previous two PKL seasons. The price of another raider was Rs. 66 lakh. His consistently subpar performance, along with his low success rates in tackles (30%) and raids (24%), raises concerns. In addition, he only has one mega raid to his name, which came at the end of the league stage.
Guman Singh
Guman Singh cost U Mumba a whopping Rs. 1.25 crore. He has only been able to get 137 raid points this season from 18 matches, despite having a high not-out percentage of 76.34, a successful raid rate of 38%, five super raids, and seven super 10s. He hasn’t contributed much defensively either.
Neeraj Kumar
The Patna Pirates kept defender Neeraj Kumar on staff. They were somewhat aback to see that the defence had only amassed 30 victories from 21 contests. Only one high five, two super tackles, and a 30% success rate on tackles have been recorded by him this season.
Nitesh Kumar
Another player who was kept, Nitesh Kumar of the U.P. Yoddhas, had his lowest scoring year. Since he had been a member of the team since Season 5, it was expected of him to aid in its development. He has only scored 34 points in 22 games and has only made two outstanding tackles. Another cause for worry is his 36% tackle success percentage, which is a season low.
Surjeet Singh
Telugu Titans paid a fair price of Rs. 50 lakh for the defender Surjeet Singh. His tackle success percentage is 29% after two excellent tackles. He has only scored 19 points in 13 games this season, 17 of which have come from tackles. A respectable not-out record of 90.91% is not compensated for by the poor form and performance of yet another veteran who has competed in the league since Season 3.
Sandeep Dhull
Delhi K.C. just purchased Dabang Sandeep Kumar Dhull for Rs. 40 lakh. The defender who frequently had a tackle success rate of 50 or above has only been able to achieve 38% this season. One high-five, three super tackles, and a 34% tackle success rate are hardly the ideal stats one would wish for. He has played in 17 games, although his overall point tally for the team is only 31.