PKL 12: Arjun Deshwal & Sanjeev Baliyan expose Tamil Thalaivas management

Tamil Thalaivas are virtually out of the race for the PKL 12 top 8 with a loss against Bengal Warriorz.

Bengal Warriorz keep their top 8 hopes alive in the Pro Kabaddi League Season 12 (PKL 12) with a win over Tamil Thalaivas on Tuesday. The Warriorz made a bold decision before the match to rest their star raider, Devank Dalal, and place their trust in the young players.

In Devank’s absence, Vishwas delivered a stellar performance, scoring 19 raid points and securing a thrilling 1-point win for the Warriorz. From the Thalaivas’ side, captain Arjun Deshwal once again showcased his brilliance, scoring 20 raid points, but his efforts weren’t enough to guide his team to victory.

With this loss, the Thalaivas are now completely dependent on the results of other teams to secure a place in the top 8. After the match, representatives from both teams addressed the media.

Tamil Thalaivas

On team performance despite Arjun’s brilliance

Tamil Thalaivas captain Arjun Deshwal made a strong statement in the post-match press conference, saying:

“I can’t change anything in this team; everyone can see what’s happening. You all keep asking me, ‘Arjun was the best raider and is still doing well, but why does he sometimes score just 2 or 4 raid points?’ But you don’t know what’s happening in the background, what’s happening with Arjun.

You can only see what happens on the mat; only Arjun knows what happens off it. I believe in my team, but as you’ve seen before and even today, one Arjun alone can’t win you matches.

Be it Devank or anyone else, no one can win alone. Kabaddi is a team game, and a team only wins when everyone plays as a unit. That means the entire squad, all 20 players and even the management, have to be on the same page.”

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On Tamil Thalaivas’ mistakes throughout the season

Tamil Thalaivas head coach, Sanjeev Baliyan, came all fired up in the post-match press conference and made some explosive revelations about what goes on inside the Thalaivas management.

He said, “Arjun and I don’t have any right to change or select the starting 7; it’s the team analyst who decides that. Before every match, they let me know, ‘This is your starting 7.’

We conduct video sessions and meetings with the team, but then another meeting happens afterward without our knowledge. Unfit players get to play, while fit players sit on the bench. We don’t have the authority to change it.

The coach in this team is just for name sake; the decisions are not in our control. Unfit players can continue playing for ten years here. They somehow get declared fit within six days. I don’t know which technique that is, but it happens.”

Arjun Deshwal on Narender Kandola

Further, Arjun Deshwal also added, “Narender is completely fit, there’s no problem with him. You saw in the last game that he got caught a few times, but that happens to everyone; even I get tackled. He’s in good form and ready to play, but they’re just not selecting him. You’ll only see him playing directly in the next season now.”

Bengal Warriorz

On Devank Dalal’s exclusion

Bengal Warriorz head coach Naveen Kumar revealed his thoughts behind benching star raider Devank Dalal.

He said, “Devank is a brilliant raider, not just Bengal’s, but the league’s best raider. He’s at the top. But we have to check the entire team. We also wanted to test other players.”

“We know that if he had played, he would have scored another 20–25 raid points, but then we wouldn’t have been able to assess the other players who’ve been part of the squad. With two matches left, we wanted to give these players a chance to prove themselves,” he added.

On the team combination for the next game

Bengal Warriorz head coach Naveen Kumar shared his thoughts on the plans behind the match and the team combination for the upcoming game.

He said, “Both raiders performed well. We made some plans and played with a combination of left and right raiders. Depending on the situation, whether we face a 6-7 or 4-5 defensive setup, we adapt as needed.”

“Now we will think and plan for the next match. We will make a different strategy for that match because we are under pressure from two sides,” he added.

Firstly, we have 22 players in the team, and many of them haven’t had a chance yet, so we want to test them to assess who should be retained next year. Secondly, we are in a do-or-die situation, so every match is extremely crucial for us.”

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