"The support raiders failed even today" - Tamil Thalaivas assistant coach points out reason for defeat against Gujarat Giants in Pro Kabaddi 2025

Tamil Thalaivas assistant coach Suresh Kumar reflected on their defeat against Gujarat Giants in Pro Kabaddi 2025. They suffered a 35-42 defeat. It was their third straight loss.

Suresh Kumar reckoned that the lack of support for skipper Arjun Deshwal from the other raider once again hurt them. It has been a glaring issue for the Tamil Thalaivas throughout the tournament.

Arjun notched up another Super 10, scoring 12 raid points. Moein Shafaghi scored seven raid points. However, no other raiders could contribute enough.

"The support raiders failed even today. It happened in the last match as well. I think Moein came in a little late. So Gujarat took the game away. If we win our next two games with a higher score difference then we may have a chance. First we will try to win and then we have to see how the other results go. The main problem was the support raiders did not score. Arjun fought well but when he got out he was revived late," he said during the post-match press conference.

The Tamil Thalaivas are ninth on the table. They have 12 points with just two games to go. Therefore, it seems tough for them to make the playoffs from this stage. They will have to win both their games by big margins. Further, they will need other results to go their way.

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"We needed a win and we are happy with it" - Gujarat Giants assistant coach on victory over Tamil Thalaivas

Meanwhile, Gujarat Giants secured their fourth win in the last five matches. The team is peaking at the right time. Assistant coach Varinder Sandhu reflected on their victory over the Tamil Thalaivas.

He lauded Himanshu Singh, who scored 13 raid points. Iranian star Mohammedreza Shadloui also did well with four tackle points.

"We had planned for each player. Our defense did well and Himanshu played a key role in the raiding. He continuously scored points. We had a good lead. They did cover up but the most important thing was the we needed a win and we are happy with it. Shadloui also scored well. Our defense is doing well in the last few games and we hope our raiding and defense keeps doing well," he said.

The Giants are seventh on the table. They have 12 points from 15 matches. With three games remaining, they appear on track to qualify for the playoffs.

Edited by Rishab Vm