PKL 2019 | We can cope without Maninder Singh, but would prefer to have him, says BC Ramesh

Both the teams were at par with each other in the first half and for the majority of it, none were able to gain a more significant lead. Though Bengal had gained a lead of four points it vanished with a super tackle from the opponents. Hence, the team ended up tying the first half on 18-18. Bengal played with a mix of rookie and experienced players with players like Jeeva Kumar and Mohammed Nabibakhsh in the side who have done well in previous matches. However, the skipper Maninder Singh missed out again and so the raiding unit seemed a bit lost without him.

“Prapanjan will be back for sure during the semi-finals. His return will be a huge boost. Nabibakhsh has been brilliant. He can contribute too. Sukesh Hegde as well has proved to be a brilliant weapon off the bench. I remember a game where we rested Maninder against Dabang Delhi K.C. and managed to tie. So, we can definitely cope without him, but we would prefer to have him,” Bengal coach BC Ramesh said in the post match presentation.

Bengal’s raiders missed crucial points as they were only able to score only 16 points and the other players supported them well. The highest point in the raiding department was six by Sukesh Hegde and he was supported by a couple of youngsters. 

“Their defence was outstanding in the first half. Maninder Singh and K Prapanjan were missed today in our raiding unit. We lacked a lead raider,” the Bengal coach explained.

“Winning today was important because qualifying for the semi-finals was extremely important. We were in a position to seal that berth against Patna Pirates, but we lost control of the game in the final few minutes. We wanted to give a chance to our bench players in this match, but the previous result forced our hand and we had to play a strong outfit today."