PKL 11: These defeats will cost us later, says Bengaluru Bulls coach Randhir Singh

Gujarat Giants emerged victorious by a 36-32 scoreline against the Bengaluru Bulls.

The Gujarat Giants kicked off their PKL 11 campaign with a stellar all-around performance, defeating the Bengaluru Bulls 36-32. Key players for the Giants included Parteek Dahiya, Guman Singh, and Sombir, while the Bulls saw strong performances from Pardeep Narwal and Ajinkya Pawar.

In a historic moment for Pro Kabaddi League season 11, Pardeep Narwal became the first player ever to cross the 1700-point milestone in the history of the Pro Kabaddi League. Speaking to the media, Bengaluru coach Randhir Singh and captain Pardeep Narwal, followed by Gujarat captain Neeraj and coach Ram Meher Singh shared their thoughts on the same.

On the second consecutive loss

Following the loss against Telugu Titans in the first match, the Bengaluru Bulls opened this PKL 11 match with Pardeep Narwal securing the first points for his team. Narwal, supported by Ajinkya Pawar, dominated the early stages of the game, but the Gujarat Giants, with Parteek Dahiya, Guman Singh, and Sombir, responded quickly, keeping the score tied at 7-7 midway through the first half.

“The match was in favour till the third 33rd minute. Then we made a few mistakes and the match slipped from our hands. The happy part is that Pardeep is coming back to his form, ” lamented coach Randhir Singh.

“The turning point for us was when Saurabh got out. We had a strategy of playing five in the front but we made some fumbles which cost us the match,” he added.

“We started the game well, we made the strategy of playing five upfront and we played like that for some time, but we made the mistake of changing it and that is when the match slipped from our hands, ” said Pardeep Narwal.

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On losing control of the match to Gujarat

Shortly after, the Bengaluru Bulls’ defence, led by Narwal, inflicted an ALL OUT on the Giants, giving them a solid lead. With Pardeep Narwal continuing his fine form and racking up points, the Bulls maintained control, leading 19-16 at the half-time break.

In the second half of this thrilling PKL 11 match, both teams were cautious. The Bulls looked to hold on to their lead, but the Giants weren’t backing down. Midway through the second half, the Gujarat Giants took control of the game, leading 26-23, and began to dictate the pace.

“The defence didn’t do well this match, last match the offence didn’t do well. Pardeep is coming back slowly and Ajinkya is not in his complete form yet. It was a tough loss, unfortunately. These two matches that we lost, will cost us later. The senior players did the blunder and the match completely slipped away,” coach Randhir Singh fumed.

“We made some small mistakes which had a big impact. We couldn’t stick to the strategy and that cost us the game. We have to go back and look at our problems and rectify them before the next game,” Narwal added.

On the close win

The Gujarat Giants raised their game in both attack and defence, stifling any attempt by the Bengaluru Bulls to come back. Parteek Dahiya and Guman Singh led from the front, with Sombir contributing significantly in defence. The Giants secured their first win of PKL 11, overcoming the Bulls 36-32, in what was a fantastic start to their campaign.

“This was our first match. The first match is always difficult. New team, new players, young players, it takes some time to settle. We made some mistakes in the first but then we changed our strategy and it got better, ” said coach Ram Meher Singh.

“Like the coach said we made some mistakes, it was the first match, it took us some time, but the team played well, the defence, and raiding unit both played well. We will take a deep look at the mistakes and make sure they are not repeated, ” Neeraj added.

On the next PKL 11 match

Gujarat Giants will now face off against U Mumba in their next match of PKL 11. The Mumbai outfit is coming off a loss in their opening fixture.

“U Mumba is a good team. They have a good set of players. It is not right to call a team easy or something, but we will also put up our best fight,” Ram Meher Singh concluded.

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