PKL 10: Patna Pirates' captain Neeraj and coach express disappointment over defensive lapses in loss to Dabang Delhi
Delhi has further strengthened its position in the points table by defeating Patna Pirates in a close match.
In the 56th match of PKL 10, Patna Pirates faced Dabang Delhi, where Delhi players dominated the first half, but the second half witnessed tough competition. Despite Patna’s impressive comeback in the second half, they ultimately suffered a defeat with a score of 38-37. Sachin Tanwar and Ashu Malik scored a Super 10 each in this match, while Yogesh contributed a High-5 score in defense.
During the post-match press conference, the coach and captain of Patna Pirates explained the reasons for their loss. On the other hand, Dabang Delhi‘s coach revealed the specific strategy that led to their victory.
Point could not come when we wanted – Narender Redu
Narender, the coach of Patna Pirates, expressed, “We made mistakes in the beginning with our defense, and the competition remained in their control. We made a comeback in the last moments, but we couldn’t play defense the way we should have. The match was very close when Sachin scored a Super Raid, but we couldn’t secure the points when needed. A bonus slipped from our hands, and at that moment, an all-out could have changed the result of the match.”
The team did not play well before half-time – Neeraj Kumar
Neeraj Kumar, the captain of Patna Pirates, stated, “We faced two all-outs in the first half, resulting in a significant lead for them. In the second half, the Raiders and defenders performed well, but the lead had already increased due to defensive mistakes in the first half. In the Do-or-Die raid, we lost by just one point.”
Ashu Malik’s big statement regarding the thorny contest
Dabang Delhi’s captain, Ashu Malik, commented on the intense competition, saying, “In the last moments, when only two of their defenders were left, there was pressure on us because, in the situation of a tackle, our defeat was certain. When the Do-or-Die raid came, I gave my full effort. There was pressure on them too, as I repeatedly tried to touch deep. We secured the victory by getting a point in that raid and then doing two empty raids.”
Had we been all out, Patna would have taken a lead of one point
Coach Rambir Singh Khokhar of Dabang Delhi added, “I had called for a timeout before Ashu’s raid, but perhaps the referee did not notice. Anyway, after that, a timeout was taken, and at that time, we had three players on the mat. If we had been all-out, Patna would have taken a one-point lead. We assessed defense, raiding, and time during the timeout.”
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