Hyderabad: The Haryana Steelers kept their playoff hopes alive after defeating Patna Pirates 33-23 in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 9 at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium here on Friday.
Speaking about their victory, Haryana Steelers’ head coach Manpreet Singh said, “Our defense unit tackled very well on Do-or-Die raids against Patna Pirates. We utilised our rest days well. We planned very well for this game. We worked on our defense, had video sessions and looked at the weaknesses of the Patna side. We worked on our strengths and weaknesses as well. And that’s why we did well against Patna.”
The head coach further added, “We managed to keep raider Sachin out of the game and also kept their defense unit’s backbone Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh quiet during the game. We only attacked him when we needed touchpoints. And we attacked him through kicks.”
The Steelers are currently in the tenth position with 41 points from 17 matches.
When asked if he is positive about his team’s chances for the playoffs, Manpreet said, “I feel our schedule is in our favour at the moment. We have beaten Tamil Thalaivas, Telugu Titans and Bengal Warriors earlier in this tournament. And U Mumba is not in great form at the moment. But anything can happen in kabaddi. So, we’ll look at our opponent’s weaknesses and work on our strengths. We’ll do good homework and see what happens in the game.”
The Gujarat Giants will be desperate for a victory after facing five consecutive losses, but Tamil Thalaivas’ raiders Narender and Ajinkya Pawar will pose a strong challenge to the Giants.
The Bengaluru Bulls will be hoping to return to winning ways when they take on Dabang Delhi K.C. on Sunday, but Delhi’s raiders Naveen Kumar and Ashu Malik showcased excellent form in their last game against Gujarat.
–IANS