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Dabang Delhi K.C. surprised everyone with their magnificent performance in Pro Kabaddi 2019. Very few fans had expected the Delhi-based franchise to top the points table in the league round, however, Naveen Kumar's heroics took the Joginder Narwal-led side to the top position.
They even won their semi-final match against the defending champions Bengaluru Bulls and reached the final but the Bengal Warriors defeated them in the most important clash of the season and took the title home.
Nevertheless, there were a lot of positives for Dabang Delhi K.C. this year as the likes of Naveen Kumar, Chandran Ranjit and Ravinder Pahal brought their 'A' game to the table. The entire team played like a well-oiled unit as the team management retained the same playing seven for a majority of the games.
However, there was a reason the team fell short of their maiden championship and hence, they will look to change a few players before next season. Here are the 3 players Dabang Delhi K.C. may release ahead of PKL 2020 -
#3 Saeid Ghaffari
Matches - 9, Tackle Points - 8, Average Successful Tackles/Match - 0.88
The Iranian left cover defender, Saeid Ghaffari made his Pro Kabaddi debut this year as the owners of Dabang Delhi K.C. snapped him up in the auction. Just like Mohammad Nabibakhsh, the fans expected Ghaffari to leave his mark. However, the same did not happen.
The Iran-born defender was not the first-choice left cover defender of the team but he managed to play 9 games for Dabang Delhi K.C. this season. In those 9 matches, he could scalp only 8 tackle points at a below-par average of 0.88 successful tackles per match.
Also, his tackle strike rate was of 40% which means every 6 of his 10 tackle attempts were unsuccessful. Hence, Delhi would not be keen on retaining his services.
#2 Meraj Sheykh
Matches - 17, Raid Points - 41, Average Raid Points/Match - 2.41
From being the lead raider of Dabang Delhi K.C. to being a substitute one, Meraj Sheykh's stocks have fallen a lot. He had been playing with consistency in the previous editions where his average raid points per match were close to 5. However, this year, his numbers witnessed a sharp dip as he ended the tournament with just 41 raid points in 17 games at an average of 2.41 raid points per match.
Since the Iranian was not performing up to the mark, Vijay became a regular feature in the playing seven of Dabang Delhi K.C. Sheykh scored just one Super 10 in the entire season and also, his successful raid percentage was below 50.
Given that he can play well in the defence too, the top officials would have expected Sheykh to contribute more tackle points to the team's score. But in the 17 games, he bagged just a solitary tackle point, much to the disappointment of the fans.
Delhi had retained him this year but the chances that he stays in the Dabang Delhi K.C. squad until 2020 are very low.
#1 Vishal Mane
Matches - 23, Tackle Points - 27, Average Successful Tackles/Match - 1.17
One of the most experienced players of Dabang Delhi K.C., Vishal Mane played at the right cover position for the Delhi-based franchise. He scored a mere 27 tackle points in 23 matches in what proved to be his worst Pro Kabaddi season.
In all the six previous editions of Pro Kabaddi, Vishal had an average of 1.18 successful tackles per match or more. However, his performance declined this year and that could be seen in his tackle strike rate as well.
Though he possesses beast-like strength, he had a tackle strike rate of 31.03%. If one looks at the fact that his strike rate has fallen by nearly 9% as compared to Season 6, then one can understand that Mane has passed his prime.
He has been with the Delhi-based franchise since 2018 but, Delhi may look to end their association with the former PKL champion ahead of the next season.
Also Read - Pro Kabaddi 2019: 3 players Bengal Warriors may release before next season
Should Dabang Delhi K.C. release these three players ahead of Pro Kabaddi 2020? Share your views in the comments box below.
