Telugu Titans – underrated or punching above their weight in Pro Kabaddi?
Rahul Chaudhari and company suffered their first defeat of the season at the hands of U Mumba. But, that wouldn’t and shouldn’t deter Telugu Titans coach Udayan Kumar and the talented squad he has at his disposal. The team that finished fifth last season looks a completely different outfit this time around.
There is no denying the fact that Rahul Chaudhari is the lynchpin of this enterprising squad. But the team has shown more than once than they are not over reliant on their captain. Playing against Pune a week back, the Titans were trailing for the first twenty three minutes of the match, but their attacking style of play edged them past Pune.
Coach Udayan must be credited for adopting a blitz-like strategy when his team raids. While most of the teams in the league rely on their defensive prowess to push them though, the Titans have been brave enough to bank on their attacking prowess more often than not.
Telugu’s star raider Rahul couldn’t work his magic against U Mumba on Sunday, but in Sukesh Hegde, the Titans have another underrated raider who goes about doing his job under the radar. At times, when U Mumba looked like pulling away, he kept them in the game courtesy of his intelligent raids. He had the U Mumba defence in frenzy on more than one occasion. Not only is he powerful, but the man from Tulu Nadu uses his flexible body with prudence to escape those hard hitting tackles.
With the inclusion of the 2 most expensive players in the league – Iranians Hadi Oshtorak and Meraj Sheykh, the Titans have integrated in them plenty of strength. The players from the central Asian country are both versatile and have performed whenever called upon.
Defensively, the team looks impervious. 19-year-old Sandeep has the ability to read the game from the heart of his team’s defence. As teams head into the mid stage of the tournament, Telugu Titans have held their own amongst teams that boast of former country captains and vice captains.
It wouldn’t be farfetched to consider the Titans as a dark horse this season. If they can keep the momentum going and stay away from injuries, this team could vastly improve on last season’s position.