The Jaipur Pink Panthers have suffered a blow to their Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) season 10 campaign with the news that young raider Devank has been ruled out of the competition through injury. The franchise has announced Maharashtra’s Shubham Shelke as Devank’s replacement.
Devank played only one match for the defending champions this season, scoring a single point from his two raids. He featured in just five games during their victorious campaign last season, but was nonetheless one of the young raiders retained by the franchise ahead of the auction.
The Pink Panthers announced Shelke’s arrival on social media, welcoming him to the 19-member squad and wishing Devank a speedy recovery. Shelke last played a PKL match in season 8 and has not enjoyed much success in the league to date. He played a total of six matches for Puneri Paltan in the 2021-22 season, scoring just three raid points from 15 raids, a success rate of just 13%.
Despite the loss of Devank, the Jaipur Pink Panthers still boast a formidable raiding lineup, with the likes of the prodigious Arjun Deshwal, Bhavani Rajput, V Ajith Kumar and veteran Rahul Chaudhari all available. Shelke will be hoping to impress and earn himself a more permanent role in the team with his limited opportunity.
The Pink Panthers are currently sitting in fifth place in the PKL season 10 table, having won three of their five matches so far. They will be hoping that Shelke can hit the ground running and help them maintain their push for the playoffs.
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