PKL 2019 | U Mumba executed their defensive tactics better in second half, says Manpreet Singh
Gujarat Fortunegiants’ coach Manpreet Singh has said that U Mumba executed their defensive strategies better in the second half and hence were able to have an edge over the Fortunegiants in yesterday's game. With this loss, Gujarat’s chances of making it to the playoffs have started to diminish.
Gujarat Fortunegiants lost their match against U Mumba by a six-point margin last night. Despite getting all-out in the first half, Gujarat didn’t falter and so they came and inflicted an all-out on U Mumba to level the scores by the time the first half ended. Though they faced problems as U Mumba’s defense was more sharp in the second half and denied their raiders points.
“They executed their defensive tactics better than they did in the first half. We too were comfortable defensively for most of the night except that spell where we couldn’t stop Abhishek,” Manpreet Singh said in the post-match press conference.
Rohit Gulia was Gujarat's top scorer in the raiding department as he scored eight points. Though all of those eight points came in the first half and he wasn’t able to get any points in the second half. Apart from him, GB More tired to support him but was able to score only five points.
“I believe the raiders haven’t performed as well as they could towards the end of the matches. We play well, build a lead and then end up throwing it away in the final phase of the contest. That’s a part and parcel of sport,” the Gujarat coach explained.
Gujarat’s defence is their strongest point but their last match is very concerning for them. They were able to score only five points collectively with Ruturaj Koravi being the highest scorer with two points. Though their chances of getting to the Top 6 are less but if they want to get there, they have to win all their upcoming matches and depend on other team’s results as well.
“It will go down to the wire. U.P. Yoddha and Patna Pirates have been in good form recently. We will see what happens. We have to keep fighting till the last match,” Manpreet said on the possibilities of reaching the play-offs.