PKL 2023: "We won't reveal our plan now," says Naveen Kumar ahead of their clash against Puneri Paltan
Dabang Delhi KC raider Naveen Kumar had a cheeky response to a question about their preparations for the upcoming clash against Puneri Paltan.
Delhi will be up against the Paltan on 18 December at the latter's home ground - Balewadi Stadium. Puneri Paltan has a well-balanced squad, including Iranian star defender Mohammadreza Shadlou Chiyaneh.
Delhi will head into this game after a win over Telugu Titans. In the press conference, Naveen Kumar, alongside his team's coach Rambir Singh, and teammate Ashu Malik, shed light on their plans against Pune.
He was asked about how they would handle Shadlou, who has an excellent track record against them.
“We won't reveal our plan now. They (Puneri Paltan) will know it then if we reveal it. We'll directly show it in the match,” said Naveen Kumar.
Naveen Kumar aims to focus on the present rather than worrying about the past
In case you don't remember, Shadlou produced one of the best PKL performances playing for Patna Pirates last season. It came against Naveen Kumar’s Dabang Delhi KC.
Playing at the left corner, Shadlou single-handedly kept the Delhi raiders quiet. Despite no support from the other defenders, Shadlou secured 16 tackle points! Yes, you read it right, 16 tackle points!
Notably, all of his points came in Super Tackles. It also turned out to be a record for most tackle points by a defender in a single match.
Naveen, who was on the receiving end of the same, doesn't seem to worry about the possibility of an encore.
“All of the games are a challenge for us. That (Shadlou’s record) happened last year. We are not worrying about the past but are focused on our plan this time. Anything can happen in the future,” added Naveen.
Dabang Delhi KC haven't got off to a perfect start this season. They have won just two of their four games. However, they will be confident owing to their victory over the Titans and will be hoping to come out on top against Puneri Paltan.
Both Naveen and Ashu Malik had great outings against the Titans. Delhi will once again bank on them to overcome the challenge of Shadlou.