PKL 12: BC Ramesh reveals big reason behind Bengaluru Bulls' loss in Eliminator 2 against Patna Pirates

Patna Pirates seal their place in Eliminator 3 by defeating Bengaluru Bulls.

Patna Pirates registered a victory over the Bengaluru Bulls in Eliminator 2 of the Pro Kabaddi League Season 12 (PKL 12). They completely dominated the match and looked in control for the entire 40 minutes.

The Bulls tried to mount a late comeback, with Shubham Bitake giving them hope through a record-breaking 7-point raid followed by an all-out on the Pirates. However, the Pirates didn’t let the momentum slip and claimed yet another playoff victory.

Ayan Lohchab was once again the star of the match for the Pirates, scoring 19 raid points and leading the raiding department. The defence was equally impressive, with Navdeep securing his third consecutive High 5 and Deepak joining the party with his first High 5 of the season.

With this win, the Pirates advanced to Eliminator 3, where they will face the Telugu Titans, while the Bulls have been eliminated from the tournament. After the match, representatives from both teams addressed the media.

Bengaluru Bulls

On the team’s loss and the right corner’s failure

Bengaluru Bulls head coach BC Ramesh explained the reasons behind the team’s loss in the Eliminator game.

He said, “The main players in a team are the corners; the corners have to be strong to stop the raiders. The right corner we picked in the auction, Yogesh, I don’t know what happened to him, but he said he had an ankle injury in the last game. The player who replaced him hasn’t scored many tackle points in the last 2 matches. Deepak Sankar and Alireza’s hard work is the reason the team performed well overall.”

“Today, we played Sahil Rane at the right corner and Jitender Yadav at the right in for ankle holds, but this plan didn’t work, so we switched and played Sachin at the right corner. The corner is the key position in the team. Today, the main raider was raiding from the left; if he had been a right raider, Deepak Sankar could have controlled him.”

“But against a left raider, the ankle holds and dives have to be executed by Sahil Rane or Sachin, and both failed today. If they continue to fail, the team will not be able to perform well. To stop a left raider, you must grab the ankles and prevent the bonus flow, but that didn’t happen, and it put pressure on the other defenders as well,” he added.

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On Shubham Bitake’s record-breaking raid

Bengaluru Bulls head coach BC Ramesh praised the efforts of Shubham Bitake for his record-breaking raid. He said,

“Pardeep, Pawan, and other great raiders have scored 6 or 7 points in a single raid before. Bitake wasn’t getting many chances, but the moment he got one, he scored 7 points in a single raid. He gave the team hope that they could still win; the difference was only 6-7 points, and there were about 7 minutes left in the game. But after that, we conceded too many touch points.”

Patna Pirates

On the team’s strategy

Patna Pirates head coach Randeep Dalal explained the strategy the team has been following in recent matches.

He said, “We play our game according to specific strategies. Initially, we gave Ayan complete freedom to go out and score raid points. We instructed the defence not to advance unnecessarily, but also not to hold back. If the raider goes deep, they can attempt a tackle.”

“This strategy has been working well in every game, and Ayan has been in superb form throughout the tournament. He is now the best raider of the season. He’s our lead raider, and while we had some issues in defence earlier, in the last few games they’ve become more active, and that’s why our team is performing well,” he added.

Ayan on the next game against Telugu Titans

Star raider Ayan Lohchab shared his thoughts on the upcoming match against the Telugu Titans. He said, “Telugu Titans are a good team, both their raiders and defence are performing well. We will plan our strategy against them; Coach Sir will guide us, and we will discuss as a team.”

“We’ve been playing do-or-die matches; either the other team gets knocked out or we do. Their raiders, Bharat and Vijay, are both strong. Bharat has been consistent, and though Vijay has had ups and downs, he’s also a good player. But our defence has been performing well too, and if they do well tomorrow, we’ll win,” he added.

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