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After another disappointing defeat at the hands of champions Jaipur Pink Panthers on Tuesday, Puneri Paltan’s chances of making the semi-finals of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi are hanging by a thread. The team from Maharashtra still have five games to play, four of which are at home. But, if the Paltans lose to Bengal Warriors tomorrow, then the home games will be a mere formality for the team, much to the disappointment of the Punekars who have been eagerly awaiting their team’s homecoming.
Hailing from the land of the Marathas, the Puneri Paltan are in no mood to throw in the towel just yet. Having already beaten the Warriors this season, the Paltans will be desperate to repeat the feat again tomorrow to give themselves a fighting chance when the league moves to its final base in Pune.
Historically, the Marathas were kings on their own turf and nobody could ever take on them in their own backyard and the Puneri Paltan will be hoping the trend continues on the kabaddi pitch as well.
Grown up on the holy land, Pune’s local lad Pravin Niwale was determined to fight till the very end and believed the home support will greatly influence his side’s performances.
“We want to fight till the very end. It’s important we win our game tomorrow. Then, we will have a great chance in Pune where I am sure the crowd will be behind us in large numbers. I am confident we will play much better in Pune,” said the in-form raider.
Pravin’s thoughts were echoed by his team manager Kailash Kandpal who spoke to Sportskeeda. “It is extremely important that we give ourselves a chance. I am confident we are going to do really well in Pune. The home crowd could be a vital factor which can help us turn things in our favour,” said the Puneri Paltan Team Manager.
With just one game between them and their home leg, the Puneri Paltan camp is extremely determined to grab a win tomorrow against fellow strugglers Bengal Warriors.
