"We took Dabang Delhi KC lightly because Naveen Kumar was not there" - Patna Pirates coach Ram Mehar Singh after loss
Patna Pirates coach Ram Mehar Singh conceded that the Pro Kabaddi team had become a little overconfident after Naveen Kumar was ruled out of their Pro Kabaddi 2022 fixture against Dabang Delhi KC on Tuesday.
Naveen has been the backbone of Delhi for the last two seasons. He has already scored more than 100 raid points this season. In Naveen's absence, Delhi's unbeaten run ended in Pro Kabaddi 2022 earlier this month.
Speaking to the media after his team's 29-32 defeat to Dabang Delhi KC, Patna Pirates coach Ram Mehar Singh said:
"We took Dabang Delhi KC lightly because Naveen Kumar was not there. We thought they did not have any raider who could trouble the team. The team became overconfident."
He felt the defenders committed too many errors, which resulted in the team's defeat.
"I think our weak point was the 2-3 advanced tackle attempts made by the defense," Singh said.
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If Sunil was playing tonight, we might not have committed so many errors: Patna Pirates coach Ram Mehar Singh
Patna Pirates tried 22 tackles against Dabang Delhi KC, but only nine of them were successful. Ram Mehar Singh rued if right corner defender Sunil had played against the Dabangs, the result might have been different.
"If two senior players like Monu and Sunil are not in the team, that team suffers a little bit," he explained. "I think if Sunil was playing tonight, we might not have committed so many errors in the defense. We saw how he tackled Chandran Ranjit near the baulk line in the previous match and he could have done the same to Vijay."
Despite the defeat against Dabang Delhi KC, Patna Pirates have climbed to the second position in the standings. They now have 40 points from 11 matches. The three-time PKL champions will next take on Bengaluru Bulls on Thursday.