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Tamil Thalaivas failed to qualify for the Pro Kabaddi playoffs once again. The Thalaivas have been a part of PKL since the fifth edition, but they have managed to make it to the next round only once in seven seasons.
Fans had high hopes for Tamil Thalaivas in Pro Kabaddi 2024 because they signed Sachin Tanwar for ₹2.15 crore at the auction. Besides, the Chennai-based franchise had also retained its core group before the auction.
The Thalaivas finished ninth in the points table with only eight victories in 22 matches. They need to make some big changes to their squad, and here are five players the Chennai-based franchise might release.
#1 Tamil Thalaivas might not retain Sachin Tanwar because of price tag
As mentioned ahead, Sachin Tanwar received a mega deal worth ₹2.15 crore from the Thalaivas at the Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction. While Tanwar did a decent job in the initial games, he could not continue in the same vein.
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Tanwar ended the season with 90 points in 17 matches. It was one of the worst seasons of Tanwar's PKL career. It seems unlikely that Thalaivas will retain him ahead of PKL 12.
#2 Chandran Ranjith
Experienced raider Chandran Ranjith had the responsibility to lead the charge for the Tamil Thalaivas when players like Sachin Tanwar and Narender Kandola were out of the playing seven. Ranjit got seven matches, but he could only score 12 raid points.
The veteran raider went in to raid 52 times, with only 23.07% of them being successful. The Thalaivas will think twice before offering him another deal.
#3 Abhishek Manokaran
The Thalaivas have backed right cover defender Abhishek Manokaran for a long time now. However, his performances have not been up to the mark. In the 11th edition of PKL, Abhishek could not score a single High 5.
He scored 31 tackle points in 17 matches, averaging 1.76 successful tackles per match. The Thalaivas should probably look for a new right-cover option in PKL 12.
#4 Aashish Umed
Another cover defender the Thalaivas might release before Pro Kabaddi season 12 is Aashish Umed. The left cover specialist earned 25 points in 14 matches. While he did record one High 5, he averaged only 1.5 successful tackles per match.
Umed was signed by the Thalaivas before the auction. It will be interesting to see if they retain him once again.
#5 Ronak
Young defenders let the Thalaivas down in season 11. Right-cover defender Ronak got 10 matches to prove himself in Pro Kabaddi 2024, but the Tamil Thalaivas player could only score nine points.
The Thalaivas team management will hunt for new defenders at the auction, especially for the cover positions. Their corner positions seem sorted with players like Sagar Rathee, Nitesh Kumar, Sahil Gulia and Amirhossein Bastami available in the squad.
Even the team's raiding unit looks good with options like Narender Kandola and Moein Shafaghi. If the Thalaivas sign better cover defenders, they can make it to the playoffs next season.
