Pro Kabaddi: Play-off race intensifies in Pune leg

PUNE: Following the successful conclusion of the Bengaluru leg of the Pro Kabaddi League, players and coaches of teams that have been slow off the blocks in accumulating points have had their minds preoccupied with ironing out whatever flaws marred their game and getting their act together in Pune.

Meanwhile, teams that are occupying the upper echelons of the table will be determined to keep that winning streak continuing as the race to finish in the top six is getting more intense. A slip-up now, with matches coming in thick and fast, may prove costly as every point earned counts in the final analysis and any slackness would impinge on their prospects of qualifying for the play-offs.

Despite belonging to different teams, the various captains and other key members of the support staff all spoke the same language when it came to reminiscing about their memories of playing in Pune in the seasons gone by.

While some looked forward to performing their tasks in front of a lively gathering, others chose to rely on their past experience of playing at an intimidating venue and hoped that it would come in handy in crunch moments.

Naveen Kumar, Dabang Delhi captain

We are happy with our performance in the Bengaluru leg. As the defending champion, Delhi had an amazing start with five back-to-back wins. All of our players performed very well and contributed to the team’s victories. We have multiple young match winners in our team. We have always received love and affection from the fans in Pune. Last year, we missed them in the stadium as we played the matches behind closed doors. I am really excited to witness the roar and cheer from our Pune fans and kabaddi lovers which will further motivate us to perform better and bring a smile on their faces.

Anil Chaprana, U Mumba coach

We carried out our pre-season camp in Pune. We will get our fans’ support in Pune as well. We will definitely give our 100 per cent and do well. We have a young team and everyone played well in Bengaluru. We will try to make fewer mistakes and try to win all games in Pune. We are excited to play in Pune as we are a team from Maharashtra.

Fazel Atrachali, Puneri Paltan captain

Get ready to cheer for us from the stands in Pune. There is no better feeling than playing in front of our passionate fans and we want to hear you loud and clear.