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Puneri Paltan’s captain Wazir Singh isn’t one to mince his words. Post their loss to U Mumba on Tuesday; he gave us insights into his team’s performance and areas that need improvement. Pune proved to be stiff opposition as U Mumba churned out a hard fought victory. Wazir lamented the loss of key players due to injuries as a deterrent to his side’s chances of beating the table toppers.
“Just like last year, this year too we have had to deal with multiple injuries to key players. In today’s match, Yogesh Hudda suffered a leg injury midway. We will have to wait to see if he can play the next match. His absence was a big blow to us. I played the entire match despite a shoulder injury. Mohit Chillar’s tackle caught me off guard,” he admitted.
Sportskeeda asked him about Puneri Paltan’s inefficiency in the raiding department. However Wazir believes his side has the quality to match any opponent in the tournament. He said, “If we play with the same spirit as we did today against U Mumba, I don’t think any team will be a match for us. It’s all about consistency. U Mumba is a strong team. They have three top notch raiders who perform in every match.
“On the other hand, they have an even better defence. But, we still managed to break through their defence on multiple occasions. So I believe this performance will give us confidence heading into the second leg of the tournament.”
He admitted that the team made silly mistakes during their match and that is what cost them the tie.
“Our objective today was to defend well against Mumbai. Which we did to a large extent. But at times we made silly mistakes. Our defence looked confused during certain stages. There was no reason that should have happened. But, I still believe we can make it at least to the semi finals and maybe even the finals,” he said defiantly.
As his team look to bounce back from two back to back losses, Wazir will be hoping that his side remains injury free. Next up, they face Dabang Dehli, who lost their opening match to Telugu Titans by nine points.
