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While we have yet not reached the halfway mark of Season 5 of Pro Kabaddi League with just 56 of the 138 matches done and dusted, we have witnessed a lot of kabaddi in the last one month. At least enough to come out with a little report card of our own. In today's report card, we look at players in the league who were snapped up at the auctions for healthy sums of moolah but haven't yet given the performances that justify their price tag.
With more than a fair amount of Kabaddi still to be played in the coming weeks, these names can still bounce back and prove their inclusion in the list wrong. For now though, here are five names from Season 5 of Pro Kabaddi League that have not delivered the goods their franchises would have thought they would when they fought for them in the auctions and procured their services for a hefty paycheck.
(All the amounts in INR)
#1 Rajesh Narwal - Bought for 69 lakhs
By the end of the fourth season, Rajesh Narwal, then plying his trade with Jaipur Pink Panthers, had earned himself a mighty reputation as the league's one of the finest all rounders. That's why when the new franchise UP Yoddha splurged 69 lakhs to secure his services, it didn't seem a bad move at all, for Narwal's reputation promised that he would keep both the defence and raiding department safe.
However, midway through season 5, Narwal seems to have turned into a bit of headache for the Yoddha management with just 23 points from 10 games. With his experience, he can't be dropped but he hasn't done a lot to earn his place in the side match after match. His performances have been appalling and his tactical awareness, something he wielded as his primary weapon last season, seems to have completely deserted him. He has done alright with his limited raiding opportunities but has definitely failed in the defence where he has made 27 unsuccessful tackles to go with 12 successful ones.
Narwal also has suffered from what seems to be an issue with not being able to control emotions when needed. This has led to several errors in the defence as well as wanton wastage of reviews that has hurt the Yoddha unit on countless occasions.
#2 Somvir Shekhar - Bought for 44.5 lakhs
Somvir Shekhar of Jaipur Pink Panthers never had the numbers to dazzle but what the Jaipur management would have seen in his CV before throwing in the big money was his experience. Having been an active member of three teams over four seasons, Shekhar could easily claim to know this league better than most. Sadly, for Pink Panthers, the 29-year old has failed to translate that experience into performances.
Appearing in pink in seven games this season, Shekhar has collected merely 6 points with his tackles, which is an average of less than 1 point per match. Even worse, he has gifted points away to the opposition and has often undone the good work by Manjeet Chhillar. After Chillar got injured, the team would have expected Shekhar to lead the defence with his experience. That didn't happen at all and his game has shown no signs of improvement in the last few games with the errors coming thick and fast.
17 unsuccessful tackle attempts in 7 games is not what the franchise would have expected in return when they handed him a paycheck of 44.5 lakh in the auctions before Season 5.
#3 Ajay Kumar - Bought for 48.5 lakhs
Promise and potential are tricky words. They can propel you to heights and then can come back to haunt you too when you don't live up to them. Ajay Kumar's Pro Kabaddi journey is a case in point. Having started with Jaipur Pink Panthers last year, Ajay Kumar was touted as one of the most exciting prospects and that's what got Bengaluru Bulls to snap him in the auctions. The team hoped to reap dividends from the strategy of partnering Ajay with the ever so reliable Rohit Kumar.
Sadly for the Bulls, things haven't quite gone according to the script. While he did win one match on his own early on in the season, he has gone quiet post that. An injury is said to have disturbed his rhythm that he seemed to be picking up in the initial stages but now he only has 32 raid points to show from his 10 appearances in the Bulls jersey.
#4 Bajirao Hodage - Bought for 44.5 lakhs
A part of a Bengal unit that made it to the semi finals of season 3 and a Patna team that lifted the trophy last season, Bajirao Hodage seemed just the man Dabang Delhi needed with his vast experience and a slight magical touch. And with Nilesh Salunke to partner him, he made Delhi's defence look extremely formidable on paper and justified the management shelling out 44.5 lakhs in the auctions.
But Hodage's season began on a horrible note and has continued in the same vein. Before the last match where he accumulated four points, Hodage had just 5 points to show from his 6 matches for the Delhi franchise.
Although his performance against U Mumba was crucial in helping the team sneak a narrow win, he can't be absolved for his poor showing in the early part of the team's campaign which was resulted in the team not being able to close matches and finish on the losing side more often than not. Hodage has to take his form from the last match into the future fixtures to boost Delhi's chances who currently languish at the bottom of Zone A table.
#5 Sachin Shingade - Bought for 42.5 lakhs
Another experienced campaigner who was picked in the auctions because of his long association with the league, Sachin Shingade has turned out to be a colossal failure. His frugal returns from the 8 appearances in Pirates jersey tell the tale of the Patna defence which has been sorry on most occasions. Expected to partner Vishal Mane in strengthening the defence of the defending champions, Shingade has just done the opposite of it and has made his team pay.
Shingade in Season 5 has looked as prone to making errors as anyone which comes as a surprise because of his wealth of experience. There is still a lot of time left in the tournament and the champion side that Patna is, it would expect everyone to lift their game as the tournament approaches the business end. Can Shingade do that? Only time will tell. As of now, his 5 points from 8 appearances just paint a very hopeless picture.
