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The Season 6 champions of Pro Kabaddi League, Bengaluru Bulls could not defend their title successfully as Pawan Sehrawat and Co. faltered in their semifinal game against Dabang Delhi K.C. Unlike Season 6, Sehrawat did not get the support of his captain Rohit Kumar who missed a lot of games this year because of injury.
Bengaluru Bulls had finished at the sixth position on the points table to sneak into the playoffs where they played the first ever ‘Extra Time’ match of the tournament’s history against UP Yoddha. After there was nothing to separate the two teams in the first 40 minutes, the ‘Extra Time’ rule came into effect where Sehrawat’s side prevailed.
Though they lost the semifinal against Delhi, it was a productive season for the Bulls as there were a lot of positives for the team. Be it the consistency of Pawan Sehrawat or Sumit Singh’s emergence as a support raider, Bengaluru ticked a lot of boxes this year.
However, there were a few negatives as well and the coach Randhir Singh will try to do away with them ahead of PKL 2020. Here are the three players Bengaluru Bulls may release before next season:
#3 Banty
Matches - 15, Raid Points - 22, Average Raid Points/Match - 1.46
Bengaluru Bulls had used Banty as their third raider when Rohit Kumar was out with an injury. The youngster tried his best but he could not satisfy Bengaluru’s demands. He scored only 22 raid points in 15 matches. His below par average of 1.46 raid points/match proves that he struggled to get going in Season 7.
Also, his successful raid percentage of 31.42 is something that would work against Banty and ultimately lead to his release from the team. However, the team management may even give him one more chance given that he was picked under the New Young Players program.
#2 Mohit Sehrawat
Matches - 17, Tackle Points - 12, Average Successful Tackles/Match - 0.58
The right cover defender of Bengaluru Bulls, Mohit Sehrawat disappointed a lot of fans in his debut season of Pro Kabaddi. Just like Banty, he was also picked up under the New Young Players program. While the latter still scored a High 5 in his first season, his overall performance was not up to the mark.
In the 17 matches he played during the season, the youngster could score 12 tackle points and 5 raid points. If you eliminate that High 5 against Jaipur Pink Panthers, his tally comes down to 7 tackle points from 16 games.
Since these figures are really low and the unsuccessful tackle percentage was 66.67%, the Bengaluru Bulls team management may look to release Mohit Sehrawat. There was definitely a reason the team did not finish at the top despite having the best raider of the world in their team.
While a majority of the defenders could not live up to expectations, the one who disappointed the most was Mohit Sehrawat.
#1 Ashish Kumar
Matches - 7, Total Points Earned - 6, Average Points/Match - 0.86
Bengaluru Bulls had raised a few eyebrows when they announced the all-rounder Ashish Kumar’s retention ahead of the 2019 auction. While Kumar had done well in the previous season of the tournament, there were players like Kashiling Adake who were released by Bengaluru Bulls.
The fans expected Ashish Kumar to produce some match-winning performances in Season 7 but the same never happened as he finished the season with just 6 points in 7 games. His average points per match were less than 1 which is why he may find himself in the auction pool of PKL 2020.
Ashish Kumar scored just a solitary raid point in the entire season besides contributing 6 tackle points with a tackle strike rate of 26.31%. Being the team’s elite all-rounder, a lot was expected from Kumar especially when he had had his best season in 2018-19.
His performances witnessed a sharp decline as he scored 39 points less this season. Hence. the Season 6 champions may release him before next season.
