PKL 12: Manpreet Singh provides major update on Naveen Kumar's injury

Haryana Steelers clinched a hard-fought 40-37 victory against the Gujarat Giants.

Defending champions Haryana Steelers bounced back to winning ways with a solid win over the Gujarat Giants in match 33 of Pro Kabaddi League Season 12 (PKL 12).

The Steelers put together a well-worked performance on the mat to defeat the Gujarat Giants by a three-point margin. Shivam Patare and Vinay stepped up in Naveen Kumar’s absence and notched up 20 points combined, while skipper Jaideep scored a solid high-five.

After the game, representatives from both teams addressed the media.

Gujarat Giants 

Thoughts on the game

Gujarat Giants’ assistant coach Varinder Singh Sandhu shared his thoughts on the game and said, “Our start was quite good, and after that, we feel the team made some mistakes in the super tackle due to which the match, which was supposed to be in our favour, went a little in the other team’s favour.”

“Haryana Steelers also played well, and even our players played well, but the small mistakes that happened in between took the match to Haryana’s favour,” he added.

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Haryana Steelers 

On future stars

Haryana Steelers head coach Manpreet Singh was asked about which players have the potential to make it big in the PKL. He said, “Only four to five matches have been played so far. It’s too early to say who will move up. Raiders like Devank, Ashu Malik, Arjun, and Nitin Dhankhar are doing really well. They are all young and will do even better. I think once all the matches are completed, then we will know who will be on top.”

Thoughts on the game

Sharing his thoughts on the game, Manpreet Singh said, “I can see that we have definitely won but we have made a lot of mistakes in defence as well as in raiding and we will have to work more on these so that we do not make so many mistakes, we could have won by a good margin, but Gujarat Giants played well and they kept making us commit mistakes.”

“We have to work harder. Otherwise, we will not be able to move forward. We will have to play better than this,” he added.

On Naveen Kumar’s comeback

The head coach gave an update on Naveen Kumar and said, “As much as you are waiting for his return, my team and I are waiting even more than that because we need him a lot and we are praying to God. We are slowly training him, but it will probably take 1-2 weeks, and only then will we be able to confirm whether he will play or not.”

“But as of now, the hope remains that he is making a comeback, and God willing, his return might happen in five to seven days,” he added.

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