"He is not injured"- Sunil Kumar reveals why Rahul Chaudhari is not getting a chance to play for Jaipur Pink Panthers in PKL 10
Rahul Chaudhari is one of the six raiders to score 1,000 raid points in the Pro Kabaddi League. He was the league's first poster boy, and even after nine seasons, Chaudhari looks in great shape.
Jaipur Pink Panthers signed the experienced Indian raider at the Pro Kabaddi League auction last year. However, Rahul has not received enough opportunities to showcase his talent on the mat.
Jaipur Pink Panthers have played 20 matches so far in the league stage of the competition. Chaudhari has received a chance to play only four games, where he has scored six points.
He went in to raid 23 times in those four matches and returned with a raid success rate of 22%. His average in this season has been 1.5 raid points per match.
In the last few matches, Rahul Chaudhari has not even featured in the substitutes list of the Jaipur Pink Panthers. He has been spotted cheering for the team from the stands during their matches in Pro Kabaddi League season 10.
Speaking exclusively with Sportskeeda, Jaipur Pink Panthers skipper Sunil Kumar opened up on Chaudhari's exclusion from the team and said:
"Rahul Chaudhari's role is very important in Jaipur Pink Panthers. His journey has been very memorable. Playing from the first season of PKL till the 10th season is a big thing. He is not injured and his form is also good."
He added:
"At this time, Bhavani Rajput and V Ajith Kumar are doing very well. Apart from this, coach sir has a plan that the other teams will make a strategy for Rahul Chaudhari. Our planning has been successful so far."
Arjun Deshwal is the lead raider of the Jaipur Pink Panthers team. He is currently at the top of the raiders' leaderboard in PKL 10 with 233 raid points. Bhavani Rajput and V Ajith Kumar have played the supporting raiders' role for Jaipur. While Kumar has 77 raid points from 17 matches, Rajput has earned 59 raid points from 19 matches.
A majority of the PKL teams prefer having three raiders only in their playing sevens. Thus, Rahul Chaudhari has not found a place in the team of late.
Will Rahul Chaudhari play in Jaipur Pink Panthers' next matches? Sunil Kumar answers the question
Jaipur Pink Panthers have already qualified for the semifinals with two more league matches remaining. Their next match is against Rahul Chaudhari's former team Telugu Titans. When asked if Rahul will get a chance to play in the upcoming games, Sunil Kumar replied:
"According to the coach's planning, Rahul bhai may also get a chance to play in the upcoming matches."
"During the practice sessions, Rahul bhai shares his experience with everyone and it is very useful," Sunil concluded.
Jaipur's next matches are against Telugu Titans (February 16) and Gujarat Giants (February 19). It will be interesting to see if Chaudhari gets a chance to play.