PKL 9: Are Telugu Titans the weakest team in this edition?

The team from the south have just won one match out of 12 games played so far in the edition.

Telugu Titans’ terrible run continues in Pro Kabaddi League PKL Season 9 as well. The franchise has won one battle out of the total ten games played. They are almost out of the tournament but mathematically can make it to the playoffs. There have been some shocking performances by the other teams as well including Patna Pirates, Tamil Thalaivas and now Dabang Delhi but they were not as terrible as the Titans.

Nothing seems to have been working for the Titans and every step taken to fix the situation is a wrong step so far. Siddhart Dessai, the Bahubali has been sub-par, even though he looks to be finding his feet again if we are to look at his performances in the recent games.

Let us take a look at the reason why Telugu Titans are the weakest team in the Pro Kabaddi League Season 9:

Continuing with non-performing players

Telugu Titans are struggling to get victories in this edition and one of the primary reasons for that is their continuity with the same set of players who are not performing. The likes of Abhishek Singh and Vishal Bharadwaj are failing consecutively, still getting chances in each game.

The duo could be rested for a few games and some new set of combinations could bring them back to the victory line. Siddharth Desai’s recent form is an advantage for the team, but he is struggling to get a raiding partner at this moment. Adarsh T is another name who hasn’t been at his best in the current season.

Ineffective defending throughout

The Telugu Titans’ horrible run so far is pure because of their defence. We have witnessed in past games how easily they allow the raiders to take bonus points. The game against UP Yoddhas is one example where Surender Gill managed to get so many bonuses and took the game away from the Titans. Pardeep Narwal got nine touchpoints in the game and showed how terrible their defence has been.

The Titans haven’t learnt from their mistakes and repeat the same in every game. The ratio of unsuccessful tackles is not good for the side. Coach Venkatesh Goud has constantly been saying that their team has been doing well in practice, but the results are not coming. The franchise has to take some quick action to get back on track.

Change in captains not working

The Telugu Titans have been changing their skippers on a frequent basis and that too is not working for them. Legendary player Ravinder Pahal has failed terribly, followed by an inconsistent performance from Surjeet Singh. Another leader Monu Goyat is unable to change the fortunes of the side.

None of the players has been able to make relevant strategies to take their team out of the disaster. Each of the captains took most of the wrong calls during the game which led to the downfall. There were no tactics seen even after the time-out. Now, it is difficult to know whether the captains are unable to convey the right strategy to the players or the players are unable to perform what is being delivered.

Lack of confidence and motivation

Confidence and motivation are two crucial factors when it comes to any sport, but it seems like the Telugu Titans are lacking in both in PKL 9. They are not the only team who were struggling in the beginning, Patna Pirates and Tamil Thalaivas too had a bad start to the tournament but both of them made a tremendous comeback. The Thalaivas should learn from both franchises and must analyze how they should turn things around.

Both the Captain and Coach need to make sure that the team should be in a good space and that no mental pressure should be given on them. Watching their previous good matches can be an option for them that can help them a bit.

Release of Sandeep Khandola and Surender Singh

The franchise did not retain two of their main defenders ahead of Season 9 who could have made some difference. Keeping their present defending skills in mind, a player like Surender Singh could be a huge boost for the side. He has been the reason for his team’s victory on numerous occasions. On the other hand, Sandeep Khandola was a tough release too. They might have bought some good defenders in the auction; the Titans should have shown some faith in Sandeep and Surender for PKL 9.