Pro Kabaddi League 2017 Season 5: Five talking points from Day 12 of PKL 5
Pro Kabaddi League is fast becoming the gift that keeps on giving. Two matches were lined up for Thursday evening and both the matches showed why this league is such a hit among millions of Indians.
In the first game, Jaipur Pink Panthers faced Puneri Paltan. In a thrilling encounter, the Panthers just about managed a victory in the dying moments of the game when Sandeep Narwal failed to make his last raid count.
In the second match, Tamil Thalaivas were searching for their first win of Season 5 against the home team Bengaluru Bulls, who were looking to bring curtains down on their home leg with a win. In another match that went down to the wire, the Ajay Thakur led Thalaivas pipped the Bulls to register their first ever victory of the Pro Kabaddi League.
Here are the five talking points from the day.
#1 Paltan's lobby problems
Rohit Kumar Chaudhari has the name of two men who have been heroes of the Pro Kabaddi League. But his performances haven’t been half as impressive as either of them. On Thursday, luck wasn’t with him as the linesman took him off from the court, almost forcibly.
The incident occurred when Tushar Patil came on to raid in the 8th minute. He didn't have to do much to get his team a point, for the point was conceded by the Paltan themselves. Rohit Kumar was found backing up too much in anticipation of an approaching Patil who had looked threatening on the night.
The linesman intervened as soon as he spotted Chaudhari’s right foot going behind the white line into the lobby. The replays, however, suggested that his foot was on the line and his ankle didn’t cross it. Chaudhari didn’t look too happy and gave the linesman a piece of his mind, earning a green card in the process.
Later in the match, even Dharamaraj Chelarathan was found guilty of the same offense, not once but twice. But the replays in his case made it clear that, unlike Chaudhary, he did step into the lobby.