"The management and the coaches accused him of fixing" - Rahul Chaudhari's shocking claim on Bengaluru Bulls' defender amid Pro Kabaddi 2025

India's kabaddi 'Poster Boy', Rahul Chaudhari, made a massive revelation regarding Ankush Rathee amid the Pro Kabaddi 2025 season. Ankush, who was the captain of the Bengaluru Bulls, was removed by the team midway through the season.

He played just two matches before being released by the franchise. Days after his release, Rahul Chaudhari came up with a shocking claim. He stated that the Bengaluru Bulls' management and coaches accused Ankush of match-fixing, which was the reason for his abrupt exit.

"Ankush Rathee was the captain of Bengaluru Bulls and played a few games. Then, suddenly, we got to know that the team removed him. The management and the coaches accused him of fixing. Let us say that he did fixing, then show the proof for it," he said on his YouTube channel. "I am also a player, when I played I also had to face a lot of things. But if you are accusing a big player of such things then do it with proof. If you prove it then I will agree and we all support you and not the player. But if you cannot, then putting such accusations on big players is not right for kabaddi players and the sport," he added.

However, there is no official confirmation or update regarding the claim made by Rahul Chaudhari as of yet.

Ankush was acquired by the Bulls for his base price of ₹30 Lakhs. He was named their captain at the start of the season. In the two games he played, he scored five tackle points, including a High 5.

Overall, the defender has featured in 71 Pro Kabaddi matches so far. He has scored 232 tackle points at an average of 3.04 successful tackles per game. These include 16 Super Tackles and 21 High 5s.

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"If a player plays with this fear then he will go home," - Rahul Chaudhari on players being sent home amid Pro Kabaddi 2025

Ankush Rathee was not the only player sent home midway through the Pro Kabaddi 2025 season. Current Indian kabaddi team captain and star Raider Pawan Sehrawat was also released by the Tamil Thalaivas amid the ongoing season.

The Thalaivas sent him back owing to disciplinary reasons and accused him of being 'undisciplined'. Like Ankush, Pawan was also the captain of the team. He played just three matches this season and scored 22 raid points.

Rahul Chaudhari reflected that players being sent home midway like this would instill fear in them, which would affect their performance.

"Think that I am a player and I think that if I do not score points, they will send me home, they will tell I am undisciplined or accuse me of fixing, then how will I give my 100%? If a player plays with this fear, then he will go home and will not be able to perform. So I request everyone to verify these things. I cannot believe or accept that Pawan is undisciplined or Ankush was involved in fixing," he said.

A Pro Kabaddi legend himself, Rahul Chaudhari featured in 154 matches. He amassed 1045 raid points with 25 Super Raids and 42 Super 10s. Rahul retired from the league in August 2024 after he was unsold during the season 11 auction.

Edited by Rishab Vm