The Haryana Steelers kept their playoffs hopes alive after defeating Patna Pirates 33-23 in the Pro Kabaddi League Season 9 at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on Friday.
Speaking about their victory, Haryana Steelers' head coach Manpreet Singh said, "Our defence unit tackled very well on Do or Die raids against Patna Pirates. We utilized our rest days well. We planned very well for this game. We worked on our defence, had video sessions and looked at the weaknesses of the Patna side. We worked on our strengths and weaknesses as well. And that's why we did well against Patna."
"We managed to keep raider Sachin out of the game and also kept their defence unit's backbone Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh quiet during the game. We only attacked him when we needed touchpoints. And we attacked him through kicks," the head coach further added.
The Steelers are currently at the tenth position with 41 points from 17 matches. When asked if he is positive about his team's chances for the playoffs, Manpreet said, "I feel our schedule is in our favour at the moment. We have beaten Tamil Thalaivas, Telugu Titans and Bengal Warriors earlier in this tournament. And U Mumba is not in great form at the moment. But anything can happen in kabaddi. So, we'll look at our opponent's weaknesses and work on our strengths. We'll do good homework and see what happens in the game."
The Gujarat Giants will be desperate for a victory after facing five consecutive losses, but Tamil Thalaivas' raiders Narender and Ajinkya Pawar will pose a strong challenge to the Giants.
The Bengaluru Bulls will be hoping to return to winning ways when they take on Dabang Delhi K.C. on Sunday, but Delhi's raiders Naveen Kumar and Ashu Malik showcased excellent form in their last game against Gujarat.
( With inputs from ANI )
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