"You will see Rahul Chaudhari playing on the mat next season" - Sunil Kumar explains why Rahul did not feature in Jaipur's squad for PKL 10 semifinal

Jaipur Pink Panthers skipper Sunil Kumar recently broke his silence on Rahul Chaudhari's non-selection in the squad for the PKL 10 semifinals.

Despite being one of the most successful raiders in Pro Kabaddi's history, Chaudhari watched the semifinal between Jaipur and Haryana Steelers from the outside. He didn't have a place in the playing seven or the list of substitutes last night.

Chaudhari played for Telugu Titans initially, and a lot of his fans were present at the GMC Balayogi Sports Complex last night for the semifinals. When asked about Rahul Chaudhari's absence from the team, Sunil Kumar replied at the post-match press conference:

"Definitely, you will see Rahul Chaudhari playing on the mat next season. He is a very good raider. He has been a top performer in the league since the inaugural season. His seniority played a role in us becoming the champions last season."

Addressing Rahul's unavailability, Sunil added that due to some issues, they couldn't pick him in the squad.

"He supported us from outside. Due to some problem, he couldn't be on the mat but you will surely see Rahul Chaudhari playing next season and getting a decent number of chances," Sunil added.

Sunil Kumar admits Jaipur Pink Panthers' defense let the team down in PKL 10 semifinals

Jaipur Pink Panthers had one of the strongest defensive units in PKL 10 but they ended up losing the match against Haryana Steelers by 27-31 last night. The defense leaked 18 points and earned only six points in the match.

Reflecting on his team's performance, Jaipur captain Sunil Kumar said:

"Yes, the match was good but we made errors in the defense. Be it myself, Sahul or Reza, we committed too many mistakes. I feel for the first time we have lost a match because of our defense. Their raiders weren't among the top raiders of the league. So, I feel the reason we lost the semifinal is because of the defense."

Sunil clarified that his team wasn't under pressure of the knockout stage but in his view, the defense had an off day.

"No, we weren't under any sort of pressure. We were quite confident. In the beginning, the raiders didn't perform well, while the defense failed to get going throughout the game. That's the main thing," Sunil concluded.

Jaipur Pink Panthers failed to defend their title in Season 10. Either Puneri Paltan or Haryana Steelers will become first-time PKL champions on Friday now.