Maninder has been exceptional for Bengal, notes Fazel Atrachali

Puneri Paltan stun Bengal Warriors, moving to the third position in the table.

PKL Season 9 is giving us everything in entertainment that other sports might not give us every day. Day 13 of the esteemed league witnessed three spectacular games. One of the battles was between the Kasinatha Baskaran's Bengal Warriors and Puneri Paltan. With their past performance, the Warriors were the clear favourites, but Puneri’s skipper did not let that happen.

Fazel Atrachali became the showstopper of the match with some exceptional defending throughout. He got good support from Sombir, and together they did it for their side. Let’s take a look at what both the captains and coaches said after the game. Here’s a look:

Puneri Paltan: Coach BC Ramesh and Captain Fazel Atrachali

Tell us about your game against Maninder Singh.

Skipper Fazel Atrachali can’t stop praising Maninder Singh. He said, "Maninder has been exceptional for the Bengal Warriors in the past. He has been the backbone of the team and can score 20 raid points in a game on a regular basis. From Season 1 till date, his game has improved consistently."

How did you single-handedly take the game in the first half?

In the game against the Bengal Warriors, Fazel Atrachali showed his real power. On being asked about his game in the first half, the skipper said, "That’s my job and I will continue to do so. Maninder was the one to watch out for, but I was ready for him as we have played a lot of Kabaddi over the last 8–9 years, so we know each other’s game very well."

What would you say on the hat-trick of victories now?

Coach BC Ramesh was extremely glad about his boys’ performance. Puneri Paltan have scored a hat-trick of victories now. On this, Coach Ramesh said, "We are back with winning momentum. The confidence in the team is high now. We will try to continue this phase in the upcoming games."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrg2AvoI4rk

Bengal Warriors: Coach Kasinatha Baskaran and Captain Maninder Singh

What went wrong today against Puneri Paltan?

Like always in PKL 9, Maninder Singh was chilled-out with his responses and straightaway said, "Puneri Paltan have the equal strength as us. We gave our best till the last moment but unfortunately couldn’t win it for the team."

Why did the defenders not live up to the expectations in the second half?

Clearly, coach Kasinatha Baskaran was not happy with the team’s performance in PKL 9, especially the defenders. He said, "Defenders were seen to become lazy in the second half. They were easily giving points to the raiders. I believe that was the only reason behind the unsuccessful day for the defenders. Puneri have been superb, and we do not regret losing to such a quality squad. We look forward to our next battle."

Why were the tackle points low today?

Kasinatha Baskaran was really impressed with the opposition defender, Fazel Atrachali. He said, "Puneri were playing with the best defender in the world, Fazel Atrachali. He also got the support of Nabibakhsh, who is a brilliant all-rounder. So, together they made things difficult for us."