"Telugu Titans deserved to win" - Jaipur Pink Panthers coach Sanjeev Baliyan

Former champions Jaipur Pink Panthers became the first team to lose to the struggling Telugu Titans in Pro Kabaddi 2022 when they went down 34-35 in a nailbiting contest yesterday. After the heartbreaking loss, Jaipur's coach Sanjeev Baliyan admitted the opposition team deserved to win.

Speaking to the media after the defeat against Telugu Titans, Sanjeev Baliyan highlighted the errors that his players made during the second half. Jaipur entered the second half with a 20-13 lead. However, the Titans leveled the scores in just two minutes by enforcing an all out.

According to Baliyan, the five-pointer raid from Adarsh T was the turning point in the match.

"I think the mistakes did not happen only in the last five minutes, but if you see, we committed errors at the beginning of the 2nd half," said Sanjeev Baliyan. "We conceded an all out. From there onwards, the scores were equal, and then the Telugu Titans performed really well. They deserved the win."

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Jaipur Pink Panthers won five matches in the first half of Pro Kabaddi 2022

Jaipur Pink Panthers failed to qualify for the playoffs in the previous PKL season, but they seem to be on track to make it to the next round this year. So far in Pro Kabaddi 2022, the inaugural champions have won five of their 11 matches. They are placed fifth in the standings with 32 points to their name.

The Pink Panthers could have grabbed a place in the top 4 had they avoided a defeat against the Telugu Titans. But the Pro Kabaddi team will now aim to bounce back in the second half and confirm themselves a place in the playoffs.

The Jaipur-based franchise will play their next match against the in-form Tamil Thalaivas on Saturday.