Five reasons why Rahul Chaudhari can go unsold in PKL 11 auction

The Showman has lost his form in recent seasons of the league.

When Pro Kabaddi League was introduced in 2014, nobody knew how the league was going to pan out. There was the Indian Premier League for cricket which had become a raging success and there was the Indian Super League which was scheduled to happen in the final months of 2014, so Pro Kabaddi League was an experiment in itself.

Any league needed stars and it was Rakesh Kumar who had the limelight going into the first-ever Auction. But right after the season started, two things happened. Firstly, the league became an instant hit and the limelight was in one man named Rahul Chaudhari. He was soon called the Poster Boy of Indian Kabaddi as he was making crowds go frenzy with his attacking style of Kabaddi.

He went on to dominate the first four seasons and as the league grew people started finding fault in his game the UP-born Raider has lost his shine and many might feel he is at the end of his PKL career. Let’s look at a few reasons why he might not be on the preferred list of teams going into season 11

Age

Rahul Chaudhari has entered into the 30s which might sound like the correct age for other sports but not for Kabaddi as the league has seen that Raiders are at their best during their early 20s. A decade ago when PKL was introduced Rahul was at the peak of his prowess dominating teams while playing for Telugu Titans. Not anymore especially in the last season, as hardly was preferred in the team.

Need for speed

Rahul Chaudhari is best known for his speed as he runs continuously between both corners of the mat and waits for any one of the defenders to make a mistake. He capitalizes on it and comes back triumph with points for his franchise. The last few years have seen his speed drop a way down as he struggles to keep the momentum going in a Raid, as he gets tired in the last few seconds which the opposition defenders sense and pounce on him to send him back to the bench.

Lack of strength

For a Raider, if Speed is one skill, strength is the other aspect that the Raiders use to overpower the defenders to reach the midline. The earlier version of Rahul would see him go past the cover defenders with ease but not the Rahul Chaudhari in the last few seasons. It was disheartening to see him give up in some of the Raids as he has lacked strength against powerful cover defenders.

Lackluster performances

The Professionalism in PKL has gone on to the next level with franchises not shying away from spending big bucks if you bring in performances. Likewise, if the performances fail to fulfill the expectations, teams have started keeping emotions aside and taking brave calls by dropping big names. Rahul has hardly made any impact in the last few seasons and as a fan, it is hard to see him being taken down like the way he has been brought down in recent years.

Availability of New Young Players

Last season, Rahul Chaudhari went unsold in the first round of the Auction only to be picked up later at his base price. With the league continuing to grow, many teams go to national and state-level competitions to scout talents to recruit in their franchise. Many new players have come to the fore and have started playing really well under pressure situations. With this trend set to continue, Rahul might not find any takers in the season 11 Auction.

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