PKL 12: Why did Devank Dalal miss tonight's clash against Bengaluru Bulls?

Devank Dalal missed his second consecutive match in PKL 12.

In Match 104 of the Pro Kabaddi League Season 12 (PKL 12), the bottom-ranked Bengal Warriorz are taking on Bengaluru Bulls. However, the biggest talking point was the exclusion of star raider Devank Dalal from the lineup once again.

Bengal Warriorz were in a do-or-die situation, yet the management chose to exclude their lead raider for this crucial clash and their last match of the season. Instead, they backed the young players, who stepped up brilliantly in their previous game without Devank.

Devank Dalal has been topping the raid charts this season, making his absence from the lineup a major shock for fans. On that note, let’s explore why Devank Dalal was unavailable for tonight’s game against the Bengaluru Bulls.

Why was Devank Dalal not available against the Bengaluru Bulls?

Despite Devank Dalal’s individual brilliance, the Bengal Warriorz have failed to make a significant impact this season, managing to win only 6 out of their 17 matches under his captaincy. However, in the last game Bengal’s young players performed well.

The team has looked inconsistent throughout the campaign, the defence often failed to deliver when it mattered most, and the support raiders couldn’t provide enough assistance to Devank in crucial moments.

After their last match, 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 one match left, we wanted to give these players a chance to prove themselves,” he added.

The team management might be looking to experiment with other players at this crucial stage of the season. With the upcoming season in mind, Bengal Warriorz are likely assessing talent for next year, and given Devank Dalal’s hefty price tag, retaining him ahead of the next auction could be challenging.

Devank Dalal’s performance this season

Devank Dalal has been the lone shining star for the Bengal Warriorz this season. Bought at a massive price of ₹2.205 crores in the auction, he was also entrusted with the captaincy of the team.

Despite the team’s overall struggles, Devank has delivered outstanding individual performances, scoring 271 raid points in 16 games and leading the raid points chart by a huge margin.

Averaging nearly 17 points per match, he has carried the team single-handedly for most of the season, with the Warriorz heavily depending on his brilliance on the mat.

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