Always interesting to go up against my former captain Surjeet, says Maninder Singh

Ahmedabad, Dec 5 (IANS) The Bengal Warriors got off to a great start in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 10 after beating Bengaluru Bulls 32-30 in a thrilling game at the EKA Arena by TransStadia.

The Warriors’ captain Maninder Singh was the star of the game with 11 points in the match. Speaking about the game he said: “Our defense unit played very well. There were some new players on our side and they put up a good performance even though it was our first match. We're really happy with the victory. I was quite happy with my own performance as well.”

Maninder also spoke about going up against the experienced campaigner – Surjeet Singh, “He’s a really good player. He has been my Captain as well. I really enjoy playing against him.”

Meanwhile, the Puneri Paltan defeated the PKL Season 9 champions Jaipur Pink Panthers 37-33 in the second match of the day. The Puneri Paltan captain Aslam Mustafa Inamdar emerged as the best player with 10 points in the game.

When asked about his performance, Inamdar said: "We played well as a unit against Jaipur Pink Panthers. All the players supported me on the mat and that's why I could produce a good performance. We bonded well on the mat. Our confidence is high after this match."

The Jaipur Pink Panthers were leading at 18-14 at the end of the first half. Speaking about how the Puneri Paltan upped their game in the second half, the skipper said: "We made a few mistakes in the first half and we noticed that the Panthers were taking a lot of bonus points. So, we changed our strategy in the second half and attempted to stop them from taking bonus points. That strategy worked very well for us."

Meanwhile, Telugu Titans will be hoping to get on board for the first time this season when they take on Patna Pirates on Wednesday, however, they’ll definitely face a strong challenge from the three-time champions, who have talented raiders in Sachin and Manjeet.

Furthermore, the U.P. Yoddhas will be looking to find momentum when they take on Haryana Steelers. However, the Steelers have a great balance between young and experienced players. Raiders such as Siddharth Desai, Vinay and Chandran Ranjit will certainly pose a strong challenge to the Yoddhas.

--IANS

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