Picture Credit: Twitter
Prolific raider Pawan Sehrawat's Pro Kabaddi League campaign got off to an unfortunate start after he picked up a knee injury during Tamil Thalaivas' season opener against Gujarat Giants on Saturday. The 23-year-old who is also leading Tamil Thalaivas in the ninth season of the league hurt himself in the 10th minute of the first half.
The skipper who was looking to affect a tackle on Gujarat counterpart Chandran Ranjith, twisted his right knee. Unable to move and left with enormous pain, Pawan Sehrawat was stretchered.
Earlier, Thalaivas had only two men on the mat - Pawan and Sahil Gulia - and had a perfect opportunity to bag two points if they could inflict a Super Tackle. While Sahil went after Chandran's upper body, Pawan Sherawat swopped in to attempt an ankle hold but twisted his knee in the process.
The shocking development left the crowd stunned into silence. The celebrated raider buried his face in agony into the mat and clutched onto his right knee before medical staff carried him on the stretcher.
Pawan Sehrawat's reaction indicated that the injury was pretty serious but Tamil Thalaivas coach J. Udaya Kumar was hopeful of Pawan's return to the mat.
"He should be back in 2-3 days," he said in the post-match conference. However, reports have suggested that Pawan could spend a long time in the sidelines. Meanwhile, Pawan Sehrawat scored only two raid points in ten minutes of the game including one bonus point.
Narender, making his PKL debut this season, stepped up in Pawan's absence with a finer Super-10 as Tamil Thalaivas tied with Gujarat Giants. Notably, Pawan was roped in by Tamil Thalaivas ahead of this season for 2.26 crore rupees, becoming the most expensive player in the history of the Pro Kabaddi League.
The 23-year-old, presently, is just 14 raid points away from 1000 career raid points. Tamil Thalaivas will next take on Haryana Steelers on October 11 (Monday).