PKL 11: Our Defence made lot of mistakes, says Telugu Titans coach Krishan Hooda

Tamil Thalaivas emerged victorious by a 44-29 scoreline against the Telugu Titans.

The Tamil Thalaivas kicked off their PKL 11 campaign in style, delivering a dominant performance to comfortably defeat the Telugu Titans 44-29 on Saturday at the GMCB Indoor Stadium in Gachibowli, Hyderabad.

Narender Kandola and Sachin were the stars of the show for the Thalaivas, guiding their team to victory. Speaking to the media after the game, Telugu Titans captain Pawan Sehrawat alongside coach Krishan Kumar Hooda, followed by Tamil Thalaivas coach Udaya Kumar and vice-captain Sachin shared their thoughts on the Pro Kabaddi League season 11 encounter.

On the loss for the Telugu Titans

The PKL 11 game started with a bang as Pawan Sehrawat, captain of the Telugu Titans, pulled off a Super Raid in the very first minute, quickly adding three more raid points to give his side a solid lead. However, Tamil Thalaivas were quick to respond, as Sachin executed a crucial ALL OUT to shift the momentum in their favor and overtake the Titans.

“The defence didn’t play well, they made a lot of mistakes, they should have made a comeback but they could not,” said the coach Krishan Kumar Hooda after the loss in their second PKL 11 game.

“I can say with confidence that the next match will be very good. We might have made some mistakes today but we will play the next match and the entire tournament way better than even our first match”, he added.

Watch the full PC here:

On making changes ahead of the next game in PKL 11

As the first half progressed, the Thalaivas managed to carve out a 4-point lead, but the Telugu Titans kept fighting back. Ajit Pawar and Vijay Malik chipped away at the deficit, while Sehrawat continued to make impactful raids. Despite their efforts, the Tamil Thalaivas’ defence held firm, and at halftime, the Thalaivas led 20-17.

“The only target is to play well. We will discuss this with the coach and work on rectifying the mistakes. All the matches are tough, all the teams are tough. We have three days to focus and strategise for the next match, ” said Captain Sehrawat who will face Jaipur Pink Panthers in the next game of PKL 11 on October 22nd.

Adding to that Sehrawat stated, ” Its not just about Arjun, you don’t prepare for only a player of the team, you prepare for the entire team. So I am sure we will do that and come back better.”

On notching up the first win for Tamil Thalaivas

In the second half, the Tamil Thalaivas extended their lead and kept the Titans at bay. Midway through the half, Sagar Rathe inflicted another ALL OUT on the Telugu Titans, widening the Thalaivas’ advantage to 9 points, with the scoreboard reading 31-22 and 10 minutes remaining.

“Everyone played very well, in the start the defence was a little loose, so we had to change the strategy a little. We changed a little in the second half so that the game stayed in our control. Those little changes helped us a lot, ” said coach Udaya Kumar.

“Our strategy is to play well. Even if it requires changing players, we have to play well,” he added.

“When Sagar left we were not that much worried because only 10 minutes and we had quite a big lead. The control was important. Sagar has a small injury, it’s nothing big he will be back for the next game,” said Sachin.

On the impact of the win on confidence

Despite the Telugu Titans‘ best efforts, the Thalaivas maintained their grip on the game. Narender Kandola and Sachin were unstoppable, consistently adding points, while Pawan Sehrawat’s raiding magic couldn’t close the gap.

Both Kandola and Sachin notched up Super 10s, securing the win for the Tamil Thalaivas. Pawan Sehrawat also registered a Super 10 for the second consecutive match, and Vijay Malik finished with 9 points for the Titans.

“It was our first game in PKL 11 so it was good to win it. We feel confident for the upcoming matches,” Sachin concluded.

For more updates, follow Khel Now Kabaddi on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.