Pro Kabaddi League 2017 Season 5: Five talking points from Day 18 of PKL 5

#2 Delhi keep hiding their best players on the bench

Abolfazl Magshodlou of Iran was one of the stars for Dabang after coming off the bench

The biggest talking point about the Dabang Delhi team this season has been their team selection. More often than not, it has been puzzling to say the least for they keep stocking their best options on the bench.

In their earlier games, they failed to use young raider Sriram effectively after he had been impressive. With their captain Meraj Sheykh not having a good season so far and no other strong raider there to support him, Sriram's absence was puzzling. Even more was the absence of Iranian Abolfazl Maghsodlou. The tall Iranian raider had been very good for the defending champions Patna Pirates last season, especially on the Do or Die raids where he uses his length to great effect.

Today once again, he started on the bench, but once the Dabangs brought him on, he changed the game for them. His height and reach caused the Thalaivas' defence all sorts of problems and he was brilliant in picking up the bonus points along with a few touch points along the way. He even affected a fantastic Super Tackle. He finished with 11 points (9 raid and 2 tackle points) despite coming on only in the second half and playing 17 minutes.

One wonders if Delhi's team selection is going to cost them a place in the Playoffs.