"When we win, fans are over the moon, but when we lose, they curse us"- Bengaluru Bulls coach Randhir Sehrawat talks about playing Pro Kabaddi 2022 matches on home turf
Bengaluru Bulls head coach Randhir Sehrawat recently spoke about the additional pressure of playing in front of the home crowd. The first leg of Pro Kabaddi 2022 is being played at the Shree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru.
The Bulls have got an opportunity to play in front of their home fans for the first time since 2019. Speaking at a post-match press conference after his team's close win against Puneri Paltan on Sunday, coach Sehrawat described the pressure and said:
"The pressure of fans' expectations is very high. Playing on home ground is the most difficult thing. Why? Because if we lost the match against Puneri Paltan by one or two points, so what would they say.
'What is this guy coaching? We had a 12-point lead and still we lost.' 'What is the captain doing?' 'Why they spent so much for Vikash Khandola'. So, the pressure is very high."
He added:
"When we win, fans are over the moon, but when we lose, they curse us also."
Fans are the source of my energy: Bengaluru Bulls coach Randhir Sehrawat
Sehrawat has been the coach of the Bengaluru Bulls since the first season. He is one of the few coaches to have been a part of the same franchise for such a long period in the PKL.
When asked about his massive fan following, Randhir replied:
"Fans are the source of my energy. I am a part of the Bengaluru Bulls only because of the fans. My fans are so good, I can't just give you an adjective."
Fans witnessed a close game between the Bengaluru Bulls and the Puneri Paltan on Sunday, October 9, where the Bulls squandered a 12-point lead. Still, they eventually recorded a 41-39 win.
Sehrawat joked after the match that had Bengaluru won the match by a bigger margin, fans would not have enjoyed it. He added:
"If the match against Puneri Paltan was one-sided, it would not have been a memorable game for everyone. Yes, we would have enjoyed it, but the same cannot be said for the public (laughs). It was the super match of PKL 9 so far."
The Bengaluru Bulls will play their third match of PKL 2022 against the Bengal Warriors on Wednesday, October 12. It will be interesting to see if they can complete a hat-trick of victories.