Manjeet Chhillar rues near misses as the Puneri Paltan crash out of semis
Since joining the Puneri Paltan from the Bengaluru Bulls, Manjeet Chhillar has led from the front as his team reached the semifinals of the Pro Kabaddi League Season 3. However, they were defeated by the Patna Pirates in the first knockout game and will now face the Bengal Warriors to determine which side will finish in third position.
They were ousted by a comprehensive 40-21 scoreline by the Pirates as Pardeep Narwal struck the telling blow with a raid that fetched his side six points. The Pune side were shell-shocked after this effort and never quite looked strong enough to put their opponents under any sort of pressure.
When asked how he would assess his side’s overall performance in the campaign, Chhillar said that a loss in the semifinals was disappointing and that at the start of the season, his side was expecting to at least reach the finals. However, he praised his team for their efforts and acknowledged the fact the Paltan had reached the playoffs for the first time after two disappointing seasons.
Unlucky on many occasions: Manjeet Chhillar
“Kabaddi is a game of fine margins.” said Chhillar. “We were unlucky on many occasions in the game and after falling behind in the early stages, we were forced to take risks and they did not pay off for us, unfortunately. Our raiders were tackled quite close to the line multiple times and had luck been on our side, we could have done much better and given a better fight to our opponents.”
Chhillar was also quick to congratulate the Pirates on a job well done and wished them all the best for the final. He said, “Patna are a young side and have shown their calibre in the tournament. I know Manpreet is a wonderful captain and player and I wish them well for the final.”
The Pune captain also said that his side will be gunning for the third place position and will give their all in the playoff. He said that his team will now look to take the positives from what has been a productive season and carry them into Season 4.