Dabang Delhi the champions of Vivo Pro Kabaddi season 8 had a flying start to season 9. They won their first 5 matches and looked invincible. A great start to the new season has completely evaporated as they lost their next 6 matches on the trot. This six-match losing streak finally came to an end with a win against the Telugu Titans. The Champions have looked a shadow of themselves in the last few matches and here are the 3 reasons for Dabang Delhi’s mid-season slump.
- A sudden transition from Experience to Youth
Dabang Delhi’s team last season contained veteran experienced players. It was their experience that helped Delhi to win last season’s nail-biting final against Patna. Last season’s team had Joginder Narwal, Manjeet Chillar, Ajay Thakur, Sandeep Narwal and Jeeva Kumar. None of the above players are in this year’s team. Manjeet is the assistant coach of Telugu Titans, Jeeva is the assistant coach UP Yoddhas and Joginder plays for the Haryana Steelers. The current team is full of young and inexperienced players and the team management was unable to strike a balance between youth and experience at the auction. The Bengaluru Bulls committed the same mistake in Season 3 when they suddenly transitioned from an experienced team to a completely young team and ended up paying for their mistake. A sudden transition is not for any team and this sudden transition is one of the reasons contributing to Delhi’s mid-season slump.
- Over reliance on the Naveen Express
Naveen Kumar also known as the “Naveen Express” is their captain, talisman and their most important player. Naveen was instrumental in making Delhi champions last season. Dabang Delhi seem to be heavily reliant on Naveen and there has been constant pressure on him to deliver in each and every match. Dabang Delhi as a team have scored 298 raid points out of which 146 raid points have been scored Naveen alone. Naveen has scored 48.99% of Delhi’s raid points this season and it clearly shows how much they rely on him.
Naveen Kumar has had to do the heavy lifting most of the season and Dabang Delhi have struggled when Naveen is off the mat.
- Defensive Woes
Dabang Delhi have assembled a brand new defence this season. In the first 5 matches the defence looked alright but in the six-match losing streak the defence looked pathetic. In 12 matches Dabang Delhi have conceded 453 points this season only the Telugu Titans have conceded more. Delhi’s defence has just unraveled in the six-match losing streak. Left cover Ravi Kumar and Right cover Vishal have scored just 7 & 10 points respectively in that winless run. The left corner has been a problematic position for Delhi this season, either Sandeep Dhull or Vijay Kumar have been unable to cement their position as a first choice left corner. However, Krishan Dhull has been able to cement his place as the first-choice Right corner, but he too has scored just 6 points in the six-game winless run with 0 points in 3 of those games. Their defence has been an area of concern and is the main reason for their recent slump.
Dabang Delhi ended this horrific run of form with a victory over the Telugu Titans and this is a morale-boosting victory for Naveen’s men. The six-match losing streak might have ended but the defense is still an area of concern. Dabang Delhi’s hopes of qualifying to the playoff clearly depends on their defence performing. The raiding department on the other hand is performing well and the emergence of Ashu Malik has given Delhi a much-needed boost. Ashu Malik over the last seven games has scored 72 raid points and has scored a Super 10 in 6 of those games. All is not lost for Dabang Delhi, the season has been extremely competitive and all the teams still have a chance to finish in the top 6. Delhi’s defenders have to step up and perform consistently for the rest of the season only then Delhi will be able to successfully defend their title.
Also Read: Top 5 Forgotten heroes and Legends of Pro Kabaddi League
