Five causes for the disappointing performance of the Patna Pirates

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While the Patna Pirates have won the Pro Kabaddi League thrice so far, they have been unable to live up to the expectations this season, with only 3 wins in 9 matches. While the squad has undergone a shuffle, here are 5 reasons for the unimpressive performance of the Patna Pirates so far:

1) Change of coach: The team has worked with several different coaches in the past, including legend Ram Mehar Singh and Sanjeev Kumar, and performed well under all of them. The Pirates qualified all the way up to the finals in the last season as well. However, as each coach adopts a unique approach, it seems that the team has been unable to adjust to the strategy of new coach Ravi Shetty.

2) Vulnerabledefence: The Patna Pirates’defence had displayed over-confidence in the previous season, which cost them key matches, including the one against the Jaipur Pink Panthers who halted the 6-game undefeated streak of the Pirates. Similar vulnerabilities have been displayed in the ongoing season, allowing opponents to score easy points against the Pirates.

3) Underperforming star-players: The Pirates have no lack of star players, including names like MohammdrezaChiyaneh. The Iranian had the highest number of super tackles in the previous season, which helped the team earn 86 points. However, his performance this season has been a dampener, and it has been left to Sachin and Motu to salvage the team’s performance.

4) Resigned attitude: The Pirates have also displayed a lack of a winning attitude as a team. While this could be due to the back-to-back losses faced, teams like the Pirates are expected to stage a comeback from temporary slumps in form. Captain Neeraj Kumar is optimistic that the team can recover the spirit it is known for as the season progresses.

5) Over-reliance on SachinTanwar: The Pirates continue to demonstrate over-reliance on SachinTanwar, though they have raiders like Monu, Rohit Gulia, Sukesh Hegde and Abdul Insamam in the squad. This has increased the pressure on Sachin, who has been consequently underperforming. The team needs to therefore redistribute responsibilities among itself collectively.