"I take the responsibility of this loss" - Arjun Deshwal reflects on poor showing after Tamil Thalaivas' third consecutive defeat in Pro Kabaddi 2025

Tamil Thalaivas' skipper Arjun Deshwal reflected on his poor display after their defeat against the UP Yoddhas on Monday, September 22. They suffered a huge 39-22 loss.

Arjun put in 13 raids but scored just two touch points in the entire game. While the defense performed well for the Thalaivas, they fell short in the raiding department. During the post-match press conference, he took responsibility for the loss and acknowledged his poor showing.

"The team has faith in me but I could not deliver today. The defense did well today but we could not get timely points in raiding, particularly myself. I could not get those points and as the coaches have a lot of faith in me, I take the responsibility of this loss, particularly in the raiding department," he said.

Arjun Deshwal has been in decent form this season. He has accumulated 81 raid points from eight games so far at an average of 10.12, including five Super 10s. In their previous match against the Haryana Steelers, he had scored 12 raid points. However, he failed to replicate the same against the Yoddhas.

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"You are only the guys who will win us games too," - Arjun Deshwal on motivating the team during tough times

The defeat against the UP Yoddhas was the third in a row for the Tamil Thalaivas. The three losses have come after they had won two consecutive games. Therefore, they have struggled for consistency this season.

After the loss, skipper Arjun Deshwal shared how he keeps the team motivated during successive defeats.

"I just tell the team that it's okay, we are making mistakes but it's okay, you are only the guys who will win us games too. The last match we lost but we played well. Today the defense was also good. I could not do well. I will look at the mistakes, nothing more to say," he said.

The Tamil Thalaivas will face the Jaipur Pink Panthers in their next clash on Saturday, September 27. A four-gap could be ideal for them to regroup and work on their strategies. Skipper Arjun Deshwal will look to lead from the front as they aim to return to winning ways.

Edited by Rishab Vm