PKL 2019 | Good for the confidence of the team that we won, says Anup Kumar

Puneri Paltan won only their third match of the season against defending champions Bengaluru Bulls last night, which would definitely be a confidence booster for the team. In the first half of the game, no team was able to gain a significant lead as both were on par with each other. The Pune’s defence was on top of their game as they managed to oust Pawan Sehrawat and Rohit Kumar as many as five times in the first half itself.

“We’ll try to keep winning and it’s good for the confidence of the team that we won today. Whoever played today, performed well and that proves that our substitutes are also good. They are very capable and can perform well. My objective is that we have two games in Delhi now and if we win both those games then then we’ll climb the table. It’s very important that we win those two games,” coach Anup Kumar said in the post-match press conference.

The raiding department’s slack was picked up by youngster Manjeet, who scored 7 raid points. Despite being in the starting seven we saw very less of Nitin Tomar who did 8 raids and managed to score only 1 raid point. The Puneri Paltan defence outplayed the opposition’s defence as they scored 16 tackle points compared to their opponents' six. Skipper Surjeet Singh scored a total of six tackle points and he was also well supported by right cover defender Jhadav Shahji who scored a High Five.

“I am very happy with the win. My team’s performance hadn’t been that great and after beating such a good team (Bengaluru Bulls), it feels great. They have the best raider in India in Pawan Sehrawat as well as Rohit Kumar and to contain them so well shows how strong our defence is. They are very capable but struggled to perform. I’m very happy with Nitin Tomar’s performance too, that’s why I played him. He’s fit but needs a bit of confidence sometimes,” coach Anup Kumar said on the win.

Surjeet Singh led the team from the front and guided the defence throughout the game and this resulted in the defense scoring more than their average of 9 points in a game. Despite being injured, he gave in 100 percent which motivated the other players to do well.

“Our captain Surjeet Singh was injured yesterday in practice and required stitches but he still wanted to play. Even after coming to the stadium, I asked him if he wants to play or not? He’s injured so it doesn’t matter if he didn’t play the game. But his confidence was so much that I had to play him because if someone is so confident, the chances of a team losing is minimal,” Anup Kumar signed off.