Pro Kabaddi League 2018, Pune Leg: 5 Hits and Misses for Puneri Paltan
The Pune leg of the Pro Kabaddi League came to a close as the hosts fell to a 23-29 loss at the hands of UP Yoddha to finish with a mixed bag of results, three wins and an equal number of losses at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune.
The Paltan did not have the greatest starts to their home campaign as they were felled by the Fortunegiants, who beat the hosts 34-28. However, the pressure was shoved away as the Paltan combined well to collect three wins in a row, albeit each in a thrilling fashion to give the home crowd a lot to cherish.
While Nitin Tomar's dominating run in the league's initial stages came to a halt in the home leg as the raider could pick just 44 points from six matches, Sandeep Narwal's absence from even the list of substitutes raised a few eyebrows as the aggressive left corner's presence was sorely missed. In the Paltan's final home game, skipper Girish Ernak missed out as well, which left a big dent on the home team's surge for a win as they fell to UP Yoddha.
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In the three wins and three losses, there were some gains and some losses for the Paltan, which has been noted down in this article. Here are the five hits and misses from Pune's home leg.
#5 Miss - Sandeep Narwal's continued absence
One of the most aggressive defenders in the league, Sandeep Narwal's unflinching dashes and tackles went missing all through the home leg as the veteran all-rounder was 'rested' after playing only the first two home games.
Failing to pick a point against Gujarat in the first home game, Narwal's luck improved a little as he picked three in the next game against the Jaipur Pink Panthers but he was rested for the remainder of the home leg, with young Shubham Shinde getting a chance to cement his place in the side.