If Opponents Stop Arjun Deshwal, Others Will Step Up, Says Jaipur Pink Panthers’ Captain Sunil Malik
The Jaipur Pink Panthers, who are the defending champions, have been on a six-match unbeaten streak, and closed out the first week of the new year, with a resounding win against U Mumba, in the presence of the Bachchan family, in Mumbai during Pro Kabaddi League Season 10. The Jaipur Pink Panthers defeated U Mumba 41-31, in another instalment of one of the most storied rivalries in the Pro Kabaddi League. A ten-point win against the mighty U Mumba, in their own backyard meant that the Jaipur Pink Panthers’ leadership group was mighty pleased. Skipper Sunil Malik was all praise for Arjun Deshwal after the match, saying, “Arjun was in fine form against U Mumba, scoring important raid points for us. Along with him, the likes of V Ajith and Bhavani Rajput also put in a fine performance in the raiding department. We played as a complete team.” For the Jaipur Pink Panthers, Arjun Deshwal stood out yet again, scoring a total of 17 points, of which 16 were raid points. He had 15 successful raids out of 20. However, the Sunil Malik is not perturbed about the fact that other teams might target him. He said, “If the opposition teams try to slow down Arjun in any game, we have the likes of Ajith, Bhavani, Rahul Chaudhari, along with some young talented players in the squad, who can step up when needed. We have enough time before our next game to sort out such things.” The Jaipur Pink Panthers were aware that they would not have it easy against U Mumba, and had made plans accordingly. Opening up further on how they worked out their plans, the captain said, “We had made our plans for the opposition players and were keen to execute them properly. The U Mumba raiders are good, but we were clear on not allowing the likes of Guman Singh any bonus points during the game. Amirmohammad Zafardanesh was also someone we didn’t want to concede bonus points too, as those points can be difficult to cover up at times.” Up next for the Jaipur Pink Panthers will be a very important phase, as they play their home leg in Jaipur (12-17 January). The Season 9 champions will face the Telugu Titans in their opening game in Jaipur and aren’t taking them lightly. “We can’t take any team lightly during the Pro Kabaddi League. All the 12 teams involved are good squads and we will go in with solid preparations and hope to do well on the mat.” The Sportz Planet Desk
Arjun and Reza lead Jaipur Pink Panthers to a victory against Haryana Steelers
NOIDA, 3rd January: Defending champions Jaipur Pink Panthers rode on Arjun Deshwal’s raiding brilliance as they beat Haryana Steelers 45-34 in the Pro Kabaddi League Season 10 match at the Noida Indoor Stadium on Wednesday. Arjun (14 raid points), Reza Mirbagheri (7 tackle points) and Ankush (5 tackle points) were the top performers for Jaipur Pink Panthers, while Chandran Ranjit (11 raid points) and Mohit Nandal (5 tackle points) were Haryana Steelers’ best players on the night. There was a surprise in both teams’ starting 7 as Haryana Steelers raider Chandran got his first game of the season, while Rahul Chaudhari was named in the Jaipur Pink Panthers squad. The two veteran raiders began the proceedings for their teams and Chandran was off to a good start as he struck in each of his initial raids. It was only a matter of time before Arjun Deshwal joined the party, and when he did, he quickly swung the momentum in Jaipur Pink Panthers’ favour. Arjun played an instrumental role in the first ALL OUT as he escaped Mohit’s ankle hold and then landed a back-kick on Mohit Nandal and then Rahul tagged Rahul Sethpal soon after to put his side ahead 17-13 with a little over 4 minutes to go. He then completed his Super 10 within the 1st half as his men went into the break with a healthy lead. Haryana Steelers got off to a superb start in the 2nd half and some solid work from Mohit and Chandran got the side within the cusp of an ALL OUT, but SUPER TACKLES from Lucky Sharma and Reza helped the Jaipur Pink Panthers stay afloat. However, Chandran produced a multi-point raid in the 29th minute to finally grab the ALL OUT. The Haryana Steelers trailed only by 1 point at 28-29 at this point and were within touching distance of a comeback, but Arjun dashed their hopes. Arjun, who was the most successful raider last season, got Mohit and Rahul first and then came back to oust Jaideep Dahiya and Vinay to lead his side to another ALL OUT. Jaipur Pink Panthers led by 9 points with 4 minutes to go and had the game in the bag. The match ended with Bhavani Rajput escaping Jaideep’s grasp as the Jaipur Pink Panthers notched up their 4th win in 5 games. The Sportz Planet Desk
