Hyderabad, Nov 25 (IANS): The Bengal Warriors picked up a crucial 41-38 victory over the Bengaluru Bulls in Hyderabad on Wednesday to stay on track for playoffs qualification. The Warriors were trailing for most part of the second half, but they managed to inflict an all out just before the final whistle to clinch a thrilling win.
Speaking about their strategy, Bengal Warriors Captain Maninder Singh said, "We looked to catch the Bengaluru players one by one in the second half. We didn't have to catch 2-3 players on a single raid. Shrikant played very well and we won the game because of him."
The skipper exuded confidence about his team's playoffs chances. The team is currently at the fifth position with 48 points. Maninder said, "We are motivated to play every match as we want to win every game. Shrikant Jadhav supported me a lot in the game against Bengaluru. We had planned for Shrikant to play a bigger role in the team and his success is great for the team. Our raiding unit has a great combination. We are not feeling the pressure for playoffs qualifications. We'll qualify for the playoffs some way or the other."
Meanwhile, the Bengal Warriors Head Coach K Baskaran expressed, "We worked on our defense ahead of our game against Bengaluru Bulls. Now there's a good understanding between the defenders and they have also become a calm unit. We also asked Girish to be more aggressive while carrying out tackles."
Matches on Saturday:
The Bengal Warriors will be hoping to continue their good form when they take on U Mumba on Saturday. However, raiders Guman Singh and Ashish will pose a strong challenge to the Warriors.
The Telugu Titans will be hoping to pick up another win in front of their home fans, however, they will be up against Puneri Paltan, who have registered four wins in a row.
The match between U.P. Yoddhas and Patna Pirates will be a cracker of a contest as both sides recorded victories in their previous matches. While raider Pardeep Narwal will lead the charge for the Yoddhas, the Pirates will bank on raider Sachin to take them over the line.