Pro Kabaddi PKL 8: Ajay Thakur ruled out of season due to injury

Dabang Delhi's Ajay Thakur has been ruled out of the remainder of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL 8) season due to an injury, the club announced on Friday.

Ajay, a Padma Shri awardee and a former captain of the Indian national team, was roped in by Dabang Delhi for ₹46 lakh this season. The veteran raider, however, got little to no gametime and managed only five points in as many games. He will be replaced by Nitin Panwar, who will join the team in the first week of February.

"It is unfortunate that I won't be available for the second half of the league due to injury. My best wishes are with the team Dabang Delhi K.C. and I'm sure that the team will perform at its best and finish on the top," Ajay said.

Dabang Delhi, which finished runner-up last season, got off to a fantastic start in PKL 8 but then slipped to a string a poor results after the team's ace raider Naveen Kumar suffered an injury. The side has lost three of its last five games and is currently placed second on the table with 43 points from 13 matches.