PVL 2023: Mumbai Meteors set to take on winless Bengaluru Torpedoes

The home side will look to secure their first win of the season.

The Koramangala Stadium in Bengaluru will play host to yet another exciting encounter on the final match day of the Bengaluru Leg in the RuPay Prime Volleyball League as the hosts Bengaluru Torpedoes take on Mumbai Meteors in the first of two matches on the day. The Mumbai Meteors will be riding high following a dominating performance against the Chennai Blitz. A 5-0 clean sweep against Chennai granted the Meteors their first-ever victory in the RuPay Prime Volleyball League. 

The Bengaluru Torpedoes are yet to capitalise on the home turf advantage. They have lost both their previous encounters against the Kolkata Thunderbolts and the Ahmedabad Defenders. The Torpedoes will be eager to move on to the next leg with a win under their belt. 

Srajan U Shetty, a Blocker for the Bengaluru Torpedoes spoke about their previous performances. He identified that several of their shortcomings were unforced errors, which is something they will address going forward. “In the first game, our reception was poor. We improved on our reception in the second match but our service was what cost us that game.” 

Shetty commended Meteors' clinical performance on Friday and said that his team has worked hard on strategizing and preparing for them ahead of the game based on the videos that they have seen. 

“They played a very solid game, their foundation was strong and this reduced their mistakes. We’ve had our video analysis sessions, so we have our strategy in place and will try to give our best performance," Srajan said.

Since this is the Bengaluru Torpedoes’ last match in Bengaluru, the squad feels they owe a victory to the fans who have shown in great numbers to root for their team. Shetty said, “This match is not only important to us in terms of the League standings, but also for giving the fans a deserving victory for their amazing support so far.”

Anu James, the attacker from the Mumbai Meteors put in a match-winning performance on Friday against the Chennai Blitz. The Mumbai unit looked like a different side compared to their defeat in their season opener against the Calicut Heroes. 

Anu James attributed this turnaround to the wise counsel of the Meteors coach, Sunny Joseph, who kept the team believing in their abilities and kept them positive. “Our Head Coach spoke to all of us after our first loss, as a team and even individually. He asked to us go out and be fearless. We are here to enjoy the game and that’s what we should do. This really helped our mindset and gave us confidence.” 

James also reiterated the importance of executing tactics and avoiding unforced errors. “We have put in a lot of time behind the scenes to prepare ourselves tactically and I am sure the Torpedoes have done the same. On match day it will come down to who executes their game plan better and steers clear of unforced errors.”

Where to watch:

The RuPay Prime Volleyball League powered by A23 will be telecast LIVE on Sony Sports Ten 1 (English), Sony Sports Ten 3 (Hindi), Sony Sports Ten 4 (Tamil & Telugu) & Sony Sports Ten 2 (Malayalam) channels in India and will be streamed on Volleyball World TV outside the Indian subcontinent, starting February 4, Saturday.