PKL 2019: 3 star players who disappointed fans in Panchkula leg

The Panchkula leg of Pro Kabaddi League 2019 is over as the home team, Haryana Steelers secured their position in the playoffs during their home leg. Dharmaraj Cheralathan and Co. won two matches at the Tau Devilal Sports Complex but they lost their matches against U.P. Yoddha and Bengaluru Bulls.

Among the other teams, Dabang Delhi K.C. recorded a memorable win against Puneri Paltan before succumbing to a defeat at the hands of Bengal Warriors. On the other hand, Puneri Paltan defeated Telugu Titans in a match where both the teams crossed the 50-point mark.

Bengaluru Bulls too had a 50 percent win record while U Mumba sealed their place in the playoffs with a win over the three-time champions, Patna Pirates. The misery of Tamil Thalaivas continued as their losing streak got elongated during the Panchkula leg.

Here's a look at the three star players who disappointed the most while playing at the Tau Devilal Sports Complex -

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#3 Neeraj Kumar, Patna Pirates

Neeraj Kumar could not even open his account in Panchkula

Match - 1, Tackle Points - 0, Unsuccessful Tackles - 3

The biggest disappointment for Patna Pirates in PKL 2019 has been the performance of their defence. On one side, Pardeep Narwal keeps the scoreboard ticking with his raid points but the defenders leak those points by committing unsuccessful tackles. Neeraj Kumar had been one bright spot for Patna in the defensive unit but even he failed to do well in the Panchkula leg.

In the solitary match that the three-time champions played at Haryana Steelers' home, they suffered a 4-pointer loss to U Mumba. Kumar could not pull off even a single successful tackle while committing three unsuccessful tackles in the process.

#2 Vikas Kale, Haryana Steelers

Vikas Kale played poorly in front of the home fans

Matches - 4, Tackle Points - 3, Unsuccessful Tackles - 16

The right cover defender of Haryana Steelers, Vikas Kale had performed decently in the initial phases of the seventh season of PKL. However, during the home leg, the former Patna Pirates player could not repeat his past performances. He committed an alarming 16 unsuccessful tackles, 10 of which came against the Bengaluru Bulls.

Kale could score only 3 points in the defence at an average of 0.75 tackle points per match. On the contrary, he had an average of 4 unsuccessful tackles per match.

The likes of Pawan Sehrawat, Siddharth Desai and Shrikant Jadhav troubled him a lot as the defender would look to forget this home leg as soon as possible. Also, the team management will hope that Vikas Kale returns to form in the team's final league match against U Mumba because his mistakes could lead to Haryana's exit from the tournament.

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#1 Rahul Chaudhari, Tamil Thalaivas

Rahul Chaudhari failed to make any impact on the opposition defence

Matches - 2, Raid Points - 5, Unsuccessful Raids - 11

It is no secret that Rahul Chaudhari is just a shadow of his former self now. But, as a fan, it is disheartening to see the poster boy of the league surrender to the defenders in a helpless manner. He had a decent outing against Gujarat Fortune Giants where he scored 3 touch points, a bonus point and also a tackle point. However, U Mumba's defence showed no mercy to him whatsoever.

Chaudhari went in to raid 15 times in the Mumbai-based franchise's half but he could take only 1 raid point. He was tackled on 5 occasions and the remaining eight raids produced no points for either of the sides.

Tamil Thalaivas had paid a huge price to buy the services of Rahul Chaudhari but looking at the way the Bijnor-born superstar has performed, the team management would be extremely disappointed at the moment.

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Which player disappointed you the most during the Panchkula leg? Share your views in the comments box below.