PKL 10: We gave away unexpected points while defending says K Baskaran after disappointing loss against Gujarat Giants

The Giants emerged victorious in a close battle against the Warriors.

Gujarat Giants beat Bengal Warriors by a 41-32 scoreline in their recent Pro Kabaddi League 10 (PKL 10) contest at the Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata on Friday, 9 February 2024. It was a sensational contest that had both teams trying to get a stranglehold on the proceedings. However, thanks to impressive performances from Parteek Dahiya (13) and Rakesh (11), it was the Giants who secured points and took a major step towards securing qualification for the season-ending playoffs.

As for the Bengal Warriors, a defeat in the home leg was a huge disappointment which was visible on the faces of their staff and players in the post-match press conference. While Nitin Kumar (12) did secure a Super 10, it was an underwhelming performance across the board from the squad. 

Here is a look at what both teams had to say in the post-match media interaction with the members of the press:

We planned to win at any cost – Ram Mehar Singh

Speaking on the importance of the win against the Warriors, the head coach of the Gujarat Giants said, “There cannot be anything more important than this result. If we had lost today, a lot of pressure would have piled on us. We only need one more win to take us to the next stage and today’s win will give us a lot of motivation. We planned to win today’s match at any cost.”

Watch the full Press conference here:

Planning to win against the Bulls

Gujarat Giants play Bengaluru Bulls in their next PKL 10 match and winning it will all but confirm their playoff qualification. Speaking on the upcoming clash with the Bulls, Singh said, “They have recruited some fresh raiders and defenders who have been doing well in the last few matches. I believe it will be a good game but we will stick to our planning and work towards winning that contest.”

Kasinatha Baskaran’s reaction to the defeat

Bengal Warriors’ head coach, spoke plainly after the defeat and said, “We are feeling bad about the result. We had chances to win but gave away unexpected points while defending.”

Losing three defenders in one moment was a turning point

While speaking about which moment turned the contest in the opponents’ favour, captain of the Warriors, Maninder Singh said, “The turning point of the game was when we lost three defenders (Akshay Kumar, Vaibhav Garje and Shubham Shinde) in one go. It was a close match otherwise, with only a few points separating the sides. But, that moment was a mistake on our part.”

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