HYDERABAD: Day 1 of the Pro Kabaddi League season 5, and it was cracker of a match that featured Telugu Titans and newbies Tamil Thalaivas. Going into the match Thalaivas weren’t given much of a chance against seasoned pros Titans. But the way they fought throughout the match was an indication that they won’t play as underdogs going further into the tournament.
In the first half, there was stage when both teams were tied 8-8, but the Titans tightened it’s grip on the match thereafter and won the match 32-27.
But going by Thalaivas’ coach E Bhaskaran, one of kabaddi’s most decorated coaches, his team will emerge as the league superpower by the end of the tournament. With majority of players featuring in the league for the first time — only three players from the team have previously played in the league — they are keen on proving their mettle.
Another factor that the coach feels is going to work in their favour is that they have a lot of local players in their squad. “We gave a good fight to the Telugu Titans, but lost out because some of the boys were overawed by the occasion. But now that they have got a taste of the league, they are going to get better only. Not much is known about these players so it will be an advantage for us,” Bhaskaran told Express.
“We are not solely dependent on the senior players to churn out results, and will have local stars by the time the tournament comes to an end.”