PKL 12: Why did Patna Pirates change captain against Bengaluru Bulls?
Patna Pirates are one loss away from crashing out of PKL 12.
Patna Pirates are taking on the Bengaluru Bulls in match 88 of the Pro Kabaddi League Season 12 (PKL 12) at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium in Delhi, on Thursday (October 16).
The Bengaluru Bulls were placed fourth in the PKL 2025 standings with 16 points from 14 encounters, including eight wins and six losses. They have a score difference of 29 thus far in the ongoing edition of the Pro Kabaddi League.
On the other hand, Patna Pirates are languishing at the bottom of the points table with six points and a score difference of -53. They have three wins and 10 losses from 13 games and are on the brink of elimination from the PKL 2025.
The Patna-based franchise took a bold move as they named their star raider Ayan Lohchab as the skipper for the match against the Bulls, with their regular skipper Ankit Jaglan on the bench. But why?
Why was Ayan named Patna Pirates captain?
Ayan Lohchab is leading the Patna Pirates in their 14th league stage encounter against the Bengaluru Bulls in the 12th edition of the Pro Kabaddi League. Ankit Jaglan is not part of the starting 7 and is named in the substitutes for the match.
All-rounder Ankit has been dropped from the lineup and also removed from captaincy, owing to poor performances from both as a player and captain. He has earned 34 points in 13 encounters, including three Super Tackles and two High 5s from 76 tackles this season.
Meanwhile, their raider Ayan Lohchab has amassed 160 points (155 raid points and 5 tackle points) in 13 matches so far this season. He has five Super Raids and 8 Super 10s to his name from 230 raids at an average of 11.92 raids per match.
The young Indian raider has been the only standout performer for the three-time PKL champions Patna Pirates.
The franchise also didn’t start with their defender Deepak Singh, who has had a horrific run this season, bagging 16 points from 13 matches. He has 35 empty/unsuccessful raids and a mere 16 tackle points from 57 tackles.
Why did Patna Pirates change the captain against Bengaluru Bulls?
Ankit has been dropped from the lineup and also removed from captaincy, owing to poor performances from both as a player and captain.
Who is the new captain of Patna Pirates?
Ayan was named Patna Pirates’ new captain.
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Farzan is a journalist at Khel Now covering Indian Olympic sports and kabaddi. With five years of experience working with major sports organizations like Chennaiyin FC, Dabang Delhi K.C., Rajasthan Royals, and Yuva Kabaddi Series, he brings diverse expertise. Farzan has covered two Olympics, one Commonwealth Games, and one Asian Games, making his knowledge of Indian sports broad and versatile.