Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], September 21 : After his team's close-fought 38-36 win against Tamil Thalaivas at the SMS Indoor Stadium in Jaipur on Saturday, Haryana Steelers head coach Manpreet Singh etched his name in the history books. The former player turned coach became the first head coach to register 100 wins in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL).
Reflecting on achieving this historic feat during the post-match press conference, Manpreet Singh shared, as quoted by a PKL press release, "This is the first time a head coach has registered a hundred wins in the Pro Kabaddi League. It is a matter of great pride for me that this record belongs to me. I have won the tournament as a player and as a coach, and now this. It feels amazing."
"I am really happy to be the first coach to achieve this. Hopefully, the other coaches soon achieve this feat too. I'm delighted that my boys have won four games on the trot in this Jaipur leg," he added.
Sharing some insight into what he's learnt from his former teammate and current Tamil Thalaivas head coach, Sanjeev Baliyan, Manpreet said, "He is a brilliant coach. When I won the trophy with Patna Pirates in Season 3, I was the captain, and Sanjeev Baliyan was our coach."
"He was a great player, and is still a good friend and a brilliant coach. I have learnt a lot from him, and as I grow older, I am learning a lot more. Even as a coach, he is always so calm, and that is something I'm still learning from him," he added.
The PKL11-winning head coach also shed some light on his young recruit, Mayank Saini, stating, "Mayank has been training with us since the last couple of seasons. He would have been in our team last year, but we had spent our budget on Shadloui. This season, I fought with team management to ensure Mayank joins the team this season. Now, he's our star."
"The entire team is fond of him, especially our captain. He is also very talented. The way he played today, it is going to motivate him going forward. It will also give him the experience, and we want that for him, so he can not only represent us in the PKL but also India one day," the coach added.
The defending champions are at the third spot in the points table, with six wins in eight matches, two losses and a total of 12 points.
Having lost three games on the trot, Gujarat Giants will be hoping to get back to winning ways when they face Bengaluru Bulls on Monday. The Giants are yet to see the best of Mohammadreza Shadloui this season and will be hoping that he can find his best form sooner rather than later, when they take on B.C. Ramesh's side that have won four out of their last five matches.
In the second match of the day, Tamil Thalaivas will take on the UP Yoddhas. Both these teams have not been able to find some consistency this season and find themselves in the mid-table scrap as a result. With two exciting raid units going head-to-head, this promises to be an action-packed encounter.
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