There's a Reason Why Shadloui is Called the Showstopper: Sunil Taneja

Speaking on KBD Live, JioStar expert Sunil Taneja explained the tactical brilliance from Gujarat Giants, and hailed Nitin Panwar’s tactical masterclass:

“On paper, Tamil Thalaivas looked the stronger team with players like Pawan Sehrawat and Arjun Deshwal, and their defense isn’t weak either. Shadloui was not in form and Gujarat’s raiders were satisfactory. Nitin Panwar arrived like a rabbit out of the hat. Playing as a right-cover, he also shifted to the right-corner in a two-three defense setup. Out of his eight tackle points, three were Super Tackles, meaning six points purely from them. That was tactical brilliance from Gujarat. I feel the Tamil Thalaivas’ think-tank fell short. When your right raiders are getting Super Tackled repeatedly, you should use Himanshu, or bring Narender Kandola in at half-time. That could have taken Nitin Panwar out of the equation. Full applause to Nitin for his performance, but Narender should have been brought in earlier.”

On Shadloui’s unique outing against Tamil Thalaivas:

“There’s a reason why Shadloui is called the ‘Showstopper’, wherever he plays, he finds a way to grab the spotlight. Tonight, no one was surprised to see him pick up five raid points. We saw the same at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, where he was Iran’s strike raider in the final against India. Knowing he wasn’t getting points in defense today, he switched gears and contributed as a raider, almost like ‘Crime Master Gogo’, he had to take something away.”

On Pawan Sehrawat’s outing against Gujarat Giants:

“When Pawan Sehrawat went in for his first raid, his footwork looked sharp, he even managed to brush the knee of the right cover defender. But when he was super tackled and mistakenly stepped into the lobby, that moment changed everything. For a raider of his stature, getting self-out in such a situation can shake confidence. He did score raid points tonight, but the expectations were higher. Credit to Gujarat Giants, they didn’t play safe, their defenders attacked him in every zone.”

On Iranian players’ impact in PKL Season 12:

“Every season, two or three Iranians make their mark, and this time around, Alireza Mirzaian of Bengaluru Bulls and Ali Samadi of the Jaipur Pink Panthers are players to watch out for. Alireza's raid strike rate was solid against Patna Pirates, though loose tackles of the Patna Pirates defenders helped him a bit. His toe touch even reminded me of Anup Kumar, Patna’s coach. The way he goes deep and uses his kicks, shows he has variety. His repeated two-touch raids proved that versatility. With Akash Shinde not in the starting seven for the Bengaluru Bulls, Alireza stepped up and delivered a statement.”