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Tamil Thalaivas captain Ajay Thakur surprisingly missed the Thalaivas' encounter against the Titans as Manjeet Chhillar led the team in Thakur's absence. However, the change in leadership did not work too well as they suffered yet another defeat this season, with the Telugu Titans avenging their home leg loss versus the Chennai-based franchise.
It is not that Tamil Thalaivas did not give a fight as with Thakur out of action, V. Ajith Kumar came in his place and registered his first ever Super 10 in Pro Kabaddi history but was unfortunate to end up on the losing side.
The Thalaivas fielded a relatively younger starting seven with the likes of Mohit Chhillar and Shabeer Bappu in the list of substitutes while Anand, V. Ajith Kumar and Sagar featured in the playing seven. Though Bappu and Chhillar came on to the mat as substitutes later in the match, they could not make an impact on the result.
However, a major question surrounding the Thalaivas' team selection was that of Ajay Thakur's absence from the team. While it is understood that Thakur might have been given a rest, there was no confirmation as to why the captain of the Thalaivas was rested for the game.
This means that the captain may have picked up a niggle in the practice sessions and hence, the team did not want to risk him by naming him in the 12-man squad. Or, this decision could have also been influenced by Thakur's poor form.
In the last five matches, Thakur failed to deliver both as a captain and as a player. Additionally, the fact that he has registered only one Super 10 in 12 matches has brought about his poor run in this season that has had a direct impact on the team's results in this edition of the PKL.
