Jaipur Pink Panthers coach Sanjeev Baliyan heaps praise on team captain Sunil Kumar

The Panthers' skipper and Arjun Deshwal were also present in the PC.

Jaipur Pink Panthers lifted their second Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) title after beating Puneri Paltan in the PKL 9 final. This is their second PKL title after the inaugural season in 2014. Mumbai has been a happy hunting ground for Jaipur Pink Panthers, who won their first title at the same venue beating Anup Kumar-led U Mumba.

Coach Sanjeev Baliyan along with captain Sunil Kumar and Arjun Deshwal shared their views at the post-match press conference.

Thoughts about the match

Sunil Kumar led the team exceptionally scoring a High-Five in a high-profile match and was equally supported by fellow defenders Sahul and Ankush.

Sunil Kumar said, “Puneri Paltan are a good side. But I kept telling the boys that we are going to win after we were leading by a point in the second half. Arjun Deshwal’s two-point raid, in the end, proved to be crucial and the five-men defensive setup too worked out. The defence at the start was not up to the mark but after the second half, the defence got stronger.

What was the strategy before the start of the match? 

Sanjeev Baliyan iterated,” We knew Aslam Inamdar will not play the match but had no idea regarding Mohit Goyat. Jaipur has already lost two encounters against Pune before and wanted to rectify those mistakes. We rectified those mistakes and won the match.

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

Teams Sucess Mantra

Jaipur were the most consistent team throughout PKL season 9, finishing at the top of the points table and quite comprehensively winning the semi-finals as well.

The coach said,” Sunil Kumar was an excellent captain and handled things very calmly. It is the captain, who needs to handle players on the mat as I will be sitting in the dugout. Sunil handled Sahul Kumar and Ankush giving them advice and suggestions and also we have a few experienced players like Rahul Chaudhari and Arjun Deshwal.

Experience handling the team

Sanjeev Baliyan has led a few PKL teams before as well and is one of the senior-most coaches in the Pro Kabaddi League.

Jaipur’s coach said,” I have played for India in the Asian Games and the World Cup as a player but being a coach is very difficult. I won a PKL title in the third season with Patna Pirates but no one recognizes me for that. More than being a player it is very difficult to handle a team and the players were very calm and composed.

Thoughts about Ankush Rathee

Ankush in his debut season scored the highest number of tackle points ahead of many star players. He was ruthless and aggressive from the start of the season.

Coach heaped high praises on Ankush. ”He is an excellent player and will continue to shine further as well. We had high hopes for him and that was the reason we bought him at the auction. I didn't know much about him at the start but was hearing about his talent from many players. On the field, Sunil Kumar guided Ankush whenever he made mistakes.”

Role of Rahul Chaudhari in the season

Rahul Chaudhari did not play throughout the season but was made use of when required at crucial times.

Coach iterated, ”Rahul Chaudhari is an experienced player and we made use of him when required. He played well in the senior Nationals before the PKL and we bought him at the auction. Whenever we played with five defenders I would have either Rahul or Ajith along with Arjun in the raiding department.