PKL 2019 | I like to get there on our own strength, says Manpreet Singh on playoffs chances

After losing a close game against Haryana Steelers last evening, Gujarat’s chances of making it to the next round has now diminished. The Fortunegiants have to depend on how the teams above them on the table perform now to make sure that they get into the next round of the league. Gujarat are at the eighth position now on the table with 45 points from 20 matches.

However, coach Manpreet Singh has expressed that he is not that happy with such situations and have always wanted to get there on his own strength.  

“Now we have to depend on others for qualification. I am not one who likes such situations. I am someone who likes to get there on our own strength,” Manpreet told reporters.

“I don’t take momentary leads or deficits into account. My plan was for the entire match. We have played some good games in the season that have been decided in the last seconds. But we didn’t have a finisher in defence or attack. Otherwise, there is no match barring a couple where we lost by a big margin.”

Gujarat lost by a margin of only one point against the home team Haryana Steelers and that allowed the Steelers to make it to the playoffs as well as the third team in the league after Dabang Delhi and Bengal Warriors. Manpreet stated that he was not fully happy with the result after the last night’s encounter.

“It was an excellent match and the team played really well. But I am not completely satisfied with the result. Gujarat Fortunegiants are known for their defence but they lost their way towards the start of this season.  However, we came back to our full strength in raiding and defence in the previous two matches,” explained the Gujarat coach. 

“The team has fought through the entire season only on the basis of our raiding. Sunil Kumar and Sachin’s injuries exposed our bench players a little. We failed because we decided to fight until the last second of the match which showed the spirit of the team. Even a tie would not have worked in our favour. The baulk line tackle of Vikash Kandola was excellent but, unfortunately, our raider got tackled in the last raid. If luck would have been in our favour then we could have had the game from there. This match is a good example for youngsters who want to play the sport, though, to inspire them to fight till the end.”