"From where will you get the money for a good defense?" - Bengal Warriorz' head coach reflects on defeat over Jaipur Pink Panthers in Pro Kabaddi 2025

Bengal Warriorz' hopes of qualifying came to an end with their defeat over Jaipur Pink Panthers. They suffered a 38-30 loss on Saturday, October 18. Reflecting on the same, head coach Naveen Kumar lamented the mistakes made by the defense.

Bengal Warriorz' defenders were not up to the mark. Ankit and Ashish scored two tackle points while Manjeet, Parteek, and Nitesh Kumar managed one tackle point each. The coach also made a massive statement that they could not build a strong defensive unit by spending a massive sum on Devank Dalal at the auctions.

"We fought but there were some mistakes in the defense. We have two games remaining and we will try to see how the players who did not get a chance do in these games. If there is the costliest raider in your team, from where will you get the money for a good defense? You will not get that quality and have to make a sacrifice," he said during the post-match press conference.

Bengal Warriorz spent ₹2.205 crore on Devank during the auctions. He was the second-most expensive player after Mohammadreza Shadloui. Devank justified his huge price tag with 271 raid points and 15 Super 10s. However, the team failed to play as a unit this season.

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Jaipur Pink Panthers' head coach on victory over Bengal Warriorz

On the other hand, Jaipur Pink Panthers notched up their second consecutive win. After their victory over the Bengal Warriorz, head coach Narender Redhu was happy with Nitin Kumar Dhankar's display. He also lauded the team for keeping Devank relatively quiet. Devank scored nine raid points.

"We have won two games in a row. I told before also that we were waiting for Nitin Dhankar and he played very well again. We just had the fear that Devank would take the game away but we controlled him. It is a young team that is doing well and Nitin has returned so I am happy. The confidence is getting better within the team now," he said.

Nitin scored another Super 10, picking up 15 raid points. The head coach lauded him for his performance throughout the season.

"I am looking at Nitin from two years. I have been telling that he has the talent. With Bengal he was playing as the second raider. But I had faith in him that we could make him the lead raider to get the better of is qualities. He is very disciplined. He did not rest at all pre season."

Despite missing a few games due to injury, Nitin has been among the top performers. He has scored 135 raid points from 13 matches with nine Super 10s.