Randeep Dalal Joins Patna Pirates as Defence Coach: The Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) 2025 season has already seen its fair share of drama, breathtaking action, and tense finishes. As the season reaches its midpoint, the league’s most decorated team, the Patna Pirates, find themselves in a position they are certainly not accustomed to.
Having won the championship three times in the past, the Pirates are now battling to stay afloat in the middle of the points table. With only two wins from seven matches, the team is currently struggling in 10th place, and their dreams of making it to the playoffs seem to be hanging by a thread.
Despite a strong raiding department, their defence has been a major letdown, and the team has made a significant change in a bid to correct the course. The latest move: appointing Randeep Dalal as the new defence coach.
Patna Pirates’ Current Struggles in PKL Season 12
The Patna Pirates were a force to be reckoned with in Season 11, finishing as the finalists, and they were expected to carry that momentum into Season 12. However, the team has faced multiple challenges right from the start of this campaign. While the raiding department has looked solid, thanks to players like Ayan Lohchab and Maninder Singh, the defence has been nothing short of abysmal.
Their defensive unit has been porous, leaking crucial points and often failing to offer adequate support to their raiders. A combination of missed tackles, lack of coordination, and unforced errors has left Patna vulnerable. The team has only managed to score 60 tackle points in their first seven matches—far below the standards set by their previous seasons.
What is particularly surprising is that the majority of their core squad remains intact from the previous season, with the exception of the departure of top raider Devank Dalal. With such a consistent lineup, many expected Patna to seamlessly continue their dominance, but the defensive collapse has been glaring.
Randeep Dalal’s Appointment: A Bold Move by Patna Pirates
As the team continues to falter, the management has decided to make a bold move by changing their coaching lineup. With the team’s defence in shambles, Patna Pirates have appointed Randeep Dalal as their new defence coach ahead of the third leg of the season, which will take place in Chennai.
Randeep Dalal is no stranger to the Kabaddi circuit. A veteran coach with a wealth of experience, Dalal is well known for his successful stint with the Services team. In fact, he recently led the Red Army to victory in the prestigious inter-services tournament, showcasing his tactical acumen and leadership abilities. This track record makes Dalal a highly regarded name in the Kabaddi community, and his appointment is expected to bring much-needed discipline and structure to Patna’s shaky defence.
Dalal’s Relationship with the Pirates’ Key Players
One of the most significant advantages of Randeep Dalal’s appointment is his pre-existing relationship with several key players in the Patna Pirates squad. He has worked with players like Ankit Jaglan, the team captain, and Deepak Singh, the cover defender.
Moreover, players such as Manjeet Dahiya and, notably, in the previous season Pirates’ star raider Devank Dalal have all played under Randeep Dalal’s tutelage in the past and enjoyed success. This familiarity between Dalal and the players could play a crucial role in enabling him to quickly implement his strategies and foster a sense of unity and discipline within the defence.
The Defence Problem: A Key to the Pirates’ Struggles
The main issue for the Pirates has been their inability to defend as a unit. While their raiders have been able to score points and put pressure on the opposition, the defence has failed to provide the necessary support. In Kabaddi, a solid defence is just as crucial as strong raiding, and Patna’s defence has often cracked under pressure, allowing their opponents to accumulate easy points.
In the first seven matches of the season, the team has struggled to put together a cohesive defensive strategy. Players have been caught out of position, tackles have been mistimed, and defensive coordination has been absent. With only 60 tackle points in seven matches, it’s clear that this department is in need of an overhaul. Dalal’s disciplined, service-style coaching is expected to bring a new level of focus and aggression to the Pirates’ defence.
Will Randeep Dalal’s Appointment Turn the Tide for Patna Pirates?
The appointment of Randeep Dalal comes at a critical juncture in the season. Patna Pirates are now at a crossroads: if they don’t address their defensive weaknesses quickly, they could find themselves out of the playoff race altogether. The pressure is now on Dalal, Anup Kumar, Prashant Rai, and the rest of the coaching staff to revamp the defensive unit and get the team back on track.
Dalal is known for instilling discipline and creating well-structured defences. His approach will likely focus on improving the Pirates’ tackle techniques, enhancing coordination between defenders, and fostering an aggressive mindset to counter the opposition’s raiders. However, the key question is whether Dalal’s influence will be enough to turn Patna’s defence into an impenetrable fortress in time for the crucial matches ahead.
The Chennai Leg: A Make-or-Break Moment for Patna Pirates
The upcoming Chennai leg will be the first real test for Patna’s new defensive strategy under Randeep Dalal. With the pressure mounting and the playoffs rapidly approaching, every match is now a must-win for the Pirates. Their fans will be hoping that Dalal’s leadership can inspire a much-needed turnaround. The team’s raiders, including Ayan Lohchab and Maninder Singh, will continue to deliver in attack, but the defence needs to step up for the Pirates to have any hope of progressing.
Can Patna Pirates Bounce Back?
Patna Pirates have had a rough start to PKL 12, but the appointment of Randeep Dalal as defence coach offers hope that they can turn things around. With a well-structured and disciplined defence, the Pirates could once again become the formidable force they once were. Whether Dalal can work his magic in time for the Chennai leg and beyond remains to be seen, but one thing is for certain: the upcoming matches will be crucial in determining the fate of Patna’s season.
As the Pirates gear up for the second half of the season, the spotlight is now on their revamped coaching staff and defensive unit. Can Randeep Dalal instil the discipline and resilience needed to turn the team’s fortunes around? Only time will tell, but for the Patna Pirates, the stakes have never been higher.
