Bengaluru Bulls was involved in one of the most cagey encounters the league has seen in recent years when it edged out Puneri Paltan 41-39 in front of a boisterous home crowd last weekend.
Bengaluru led Puneri 28-14 at halftime, but Pune mounted a heroic comeback on the backs of stand-in skipper Aslam Inamdar and the defense, with the men in orange leveling scores 35-35 with a little over five minutes left on the clock.
While the Bulls will be miffed about not registering a big win and making some gains in the score difference column of the points table, head coach Randhir Singh Sehrawat is not one to diminish the win, margin irrespective.
“It comes with intense pressure to play on your home ground in front of your home fans. If we'd lost by 2 points, they would have questioned all our credentials. Whether by one point or by 12, a win is a win,” Sehrawat said after the nervy finish that went in favour of his boys.
Sehrawat is the only coach who has been with one franchise since the inception of the league and understands the ups and downs of kabaddi better than most.
“If this game was one-sided, it would not be fun at all. I would enjoy it, but no one else would. This was, in my opinion, the best game of the league so far.” the Bulls coach said.
Randhir Singh Sehrawat (L) with Bengaluru Bulls raiders Vikash Kandola and Neeraj Narwal during a practice session. | Photo Credit: Randhir Singh Sehrawat/Instagram
Bulls are without star raider Pawan Sehrawat, who was crucial to their title-winning campaign in season 6, after he moved to Tamil Thalaivas. The men in red have Vikash Kandola and Bharat leading the charge this season and with decent efficacy. However, the defence left Sehrawat fuming on the sidelines and captain Mahender Singh disappointed post the match.
“We won, but our defense made a lot of mistakes,” Singh said.
“Yes, the boys will get an earful when we go back to the hotel,” Sehrawat chimed in.
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Struggling to hold a sizeable lead is a problem that seems to have followed Kandola from Haryana to the Bulls. But Sehrawat’s priorities were clear and with an eye on the future.
“If we draw, then Pune will get stronger. Eventually, the Iranians, Fazel and Nabibakhsh, will join them again. So we wanted to prevent any advantage. I am glad this happened in this match so I have something to go talk to the boys about in training. We now know what not to do,” he added.
The Bulls take on Bengal Warriors on Wednesday and UP Yoddhas on Sunday this week, both fairly strong raiding units but with sizeable defensive gaps. Sehrawat will hope his boys can keep their unbeaten run in the league going early on.
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