Pro Kabaddi League 2017 Season 5: War of words breaks out between Patna Pirates and Gujarat Fortunegiants coaches
It was bound to spill over at some point. Two teams who are playing to their maximum potential, a former player now turned coach of a rival team - the animosity between Patna Pirates and Gujarat Fortunegiants reached it's zenith on Tuesday.
Post Gujarat's dominant win over Bengal Warriors, coach, Manpreet Singh seemed extremely pleased with his side. His team have been immaculate so far and have rarely put a foot wrong.
Their attack and defense, both have begun to work in unison at just about the right time. Their victory against Bengal guaranteed them a place in the final. Gujarat will either play Patna Pirates or Bengal Warriors for a shot at the title.
But Gujarat coach, Manpreet Singh, who was a former player at Patna is desperate to play them in the final. It's not clear whether Manpreet parted ways with his former club in an amicable manner, given his stinging comments. He suggested that the Pirates would be an extremely easy opponent for them.
"Since the tournament has started, we have played with tremendous confidence. There is no doubt, we will lift the trophy. We have not let Pardeep score a super 10 in our previous two matches. We are keenly waiting to play Patna in the finals, it will be a little easier for us to win the title then," he said.
Patna coach, Ram Mehar Singh was asked to reply on this comment and was in no mood to sweep things under the carpet. He seemed disgusted with Manpreet's comments and put things into perspective.
"Look, we're two time champions. But we've never been cocky in press conferences. If God and my players give me the opportunity, I wish to sit with Manpreet and do a press conference after the final," he said.
Mehar believes it's immature for a coach to speak with such brashness at a press conference, suggesting that this job should be left to the players instead. While Gujarat no doubt look the stronger side at this point, Patna's coach is relishing a possible final with them.
"Many people like to talk after a match. A couple of seasons ago, we lost to Jaipur Pink Panthers twice in the group stage then beat them in the final easily. If a player talks then it's fine but when a coach talks like this, it doesn't do any good," he said.
For this mouth watering clash to take place, Patna will have to beat a underrated Bengal side on Thursday.