PKL 10: Can the Telugu Titans Turn the Tide? A Mid-Season Analysis
The Telugu Titans have not been a very successful team in the history of the Pro Kabaddi League, as they have always stayed in the bottom half and missed out on the playoff spot more often than not. Well, it has not been any different for them this season, as they currently stand in the wooden spoon position with just a single win out of eleven matches and ten huge losses. They have only 9 points to their name and the worst score difference of -138. Their only victory this season has come against the Haryana Steelers, where they won by just one point.
When the Telugu Titans management decided to acquire the services of Pawan Kumar Sehrawat, who is probably the best raider in the world of Kabaddi right now, they thought the story would be a lot different this season for the franchise, but it has been worse, and it is almost impossible for them to reach the playoffs from here.
Their season began with a hard-fought loss against the Gujarat Giants by six points, which was the opening match of the PKL season 10. But their next two losses, one against the Patna Pirates by 22 points and the other against the U.P. Yoddhas by 15 points, just shattered their confidence and gave their campaign the worst possible start. The raiders came through in all the matches, as it was the defence that led them down and was responsible for the annihilation.
In the fourth match, the Titans lost a closely fought encounter against the Thalaivas by just two points, where they were ahead for the majority of the game. They met Dabang Delhi next, and the Delhi team proved to be too good for them, making them lose again, this time by 11 points.
The Telugu Titans finally witnessed a victory after this against the Haryana Steelers, where Pawan Sehrawat, Sandeep Dhull, and Ajit Pawar were the orchestrators of the win. The team thought they would gain momentum from this and try to change things, but it panned out the same when they lost their next match against the Bengaluru Bulls by two points.
Two huge losses once again followed that loss against the Bulls for the Telugu Titans, as U Mumba beat them by 18 points, whereas Puneri Paltan crushed them by scoring double more points that the Telugu Titans scored in that match (18-54). Their loss against the Gujarat Giants after that gave them a point, as it was by seven points, whereas in their latest match, the Bengal Warriors once again made a mockery of them by beating them by 20 points.
It has just been a nightmare of a season for the Titans because of two main reasons: One is that the defenders have failed to score points, and the other is that the raiders other than Pawan have been a no-show. Bettering their performance this season could save the Telugu Titans from some embarrassment, as we hope they can win some games from here and come back better prepared next season.
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