Pune: The Puneri Paltan side have been one of the best units in the first week of the Season 11 of the PKL, and head coach BC Ramesh is understandably mighty delighted about that. The defending champions defeated the Haryana Steelers first, and then romped past the Patna Pirates in their second game.
Speaking after the win against the Patna Pirates, BC Ramesh said, “The captain (Aslam Inamdar) played brilliantly and the whole team has worked very well. We had a particular plan, and we knew who were the important players for the Patna Pirates, and we planned accordingly. We were keen to pick up the bonus points from the very beginning and to maintain a strong defensive unit. And along with Aslam, there was Mohit Goyat and Pankaj Mohite played really well, along with the others.”
“I am very happy with how the team has been performing so far, and I don’t feel there is any weakness as of now, because all the players have taken responsibility, and someone or the other has always stepped up whenever required. We hope that the combinations continue work well and then we will be able to play even better in the coming games,” he added.
One of the standout aspects for the Puneri Paltan side has been their defensive unit, and how well they have synced up with the raiders. Star raider Pankaj Mohite said, “Our defence has been a very tight unit and they have combined well to keep the opposition from getting points. Our coach told the raiders to go all out, because the defenders have been in good form, and the performances have helped the team do well.”
The Puneri Paltan head BC Ramesh also touched upon how he sees the sport of Kabaddi progressing in the future. “For me, the PKL and Kabaddi is important, and I believe the sport will make a lot of progress, and sooner or later, it should reach the Olympics, and that will be huge. The sport of Kabaddi was not very famous earlier, but today thanks to Mashal Sports and the PKL, the players have become stars, and it is very nice to see that. Kabaddi is on the rise, and we will all work hard to ensure the sport keeps on growing,” he signed off.
The first match of the day will see the Puneri Paltan, who are looking for their third consecutive win of the campaign, come up against the Tamil Thalaivas. Neither team have lost a game in the competition so far this season.
After that, the Gujarat Giants will face U Mumba in the second game of the day. While the Gujarat Giants, who have former U Mumba raider Guman Singh in their side this season, started off on a winning note, the team from Mumbai, are still looking for their first points of the season.
