With another big win in their kitty, the JSW Sports-owned franchise Haryana Steelers are maintaining their fifth position in the Pro Kabaddi League table, with 44 points in 14 games. The side jointly led by Mohit Nandal and Jaideep Dahiya defeated Telugu Titans 37-30 on Monday at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium to kick start their Hyderabad leg.
Now, with hopes to maintain the string of results, the Steelers will go head-to-head against Dabang Delhi on Wednesday. Giving an insight into the team’s mindset ahead of the match, Haryana Head Coach Manpreet Singh said that each game in the league boils down to the execution of plans.
“Our team is performing well in all areas, there is no shortage of effort in any department. But in the end, it is all about the execution of plans on a given day. On some days, the plans work, and on some days, the plans do not work. That is the beauty of this sport,” he said.
Another positive sign for Haryana Steelers this season has been the performance from the youth. Rahul Sethpal and Shivam Patare have proven to be revelations, and Ghanshyam Magar, who made his Pro Kabaddi League debut against Titans on Monday, also showed promising signs.
“Kabaddi is all about the youth,” Manpreet said. “The young players have to quickly learn the sport and impose the plans and strategies on the opposition team. The more they do so, the more it helps our team. Kabaddi has advanced a lot today. You have to know how to adapt at every moment.”
He further added: “I have been playing kabaddi since I was in 3rd or 4th class, but I am still learning to this day. There are many skills, techniques, strategies, and mindset that is involved with this sport. It is always hard for any player to be an expert at all things. But if you could get like 30 – 50 percent in one area, it helps the team get the results we need.”
Meanwhile, Steelers Captain Jaideep said that the team will take motivation from their previous win over Delhi ahead of their next game. The two teams met in December and Haryana had won a close contest 35-33.
“We are confident of playing against Delhi. We defeated them in the past. We will try to rectify the mistakes we made last time. Everyone has playoffs in their minds, but we also know we cannot think far ahead and have to go game-by-game. We strategise as per the team that we are facing and we will look to maintain a good run,” he said.
Manpreet added that his side will look to make the most of Naveen Kumar’s absence. “Delhi have a great coach and a solid team. They have a good balance between raiders and defenders. But Naveen is not there, so there will be some pressure on other raiders. Our strategy would be to make the most of his absence, and we will plan our strategies to tackle their raiders,” he signed off.
