PKL Has Helped International Players Improve Their Standards, Says Haryana Steelers Coach Manpreet Singh

Hyderabad, 23rd October, 2024: One of the teams that has garnered the most amount of attention has been the Haryana Steelers, who were the runners-up last year. While PKL Season 11 has not begun in the manner in which they would have liked, the Haryana Steelers are upbeat and confident for the upcoming games. 

Up next for the Haryana Steelers is the Jaipur Pink Panthers, and looking ahead to that, coach Manpreet Singh, said, “The team is fit and the mood in the camp in the also very good. The training sessions are going well too and I believe the Haryana Steelers will do well in the game against the Jaipur Pink Panthers. Our key players are in good form, and we are confident of doing well in the next match.” 

The very experienced coach said, “Our defence is still possibly one of our strongest departments this year as well. I believe that in the game against the Jaipur Pink Panthers, our raiders will also perform better, and the opposition have won two games, but we can defeat them.” 

Manpreet Singh has been a part of the Indian kabaddi ecosystem for a long time. Reflecting on the progress of the sport, he said, “Kabaddi is very deeply rooted in Indian culture. Everyone has played the sport at some point or the other in their youth, whether it is the common man or PM Narendra Modi. Earlier, Kabaddi was largely restricted to certain pockets of the country, but since the Pro Kabaddi League has come about, thanks to Mashal Sports, the sport has spread out across the country, even to the big cities and education institutes. The game has received a lot of love from the country, and the sport can make a lot of progress in the future, and we can definitely go to the Olympic Games as well.” 

“After cricket, if there is any game that has caught the attention of the people across the country, it is Kabaddi. In the PKL, there are players from many countries, England, Iran and others, so when you play together, the skill levels also improve, and the international players have learnt a lot from our players as well and that is visible at the international level,” he added.

A championship winner as a player with Patna Pirates, Manpreet Singh is definitely keen to win the PKL title as a coach. “It would be really nice to be able to win the PKL title with young and upcoming players. That is a dream for me and I want to win the PKL title as a coach for sure,” he said. 

The Haryana Steelers’ coach also spoke about his ambitions in the sport. “By God’s grace, I have got everything in life and things like money don’t matter. Now the aim is to coach the Indian national team and win the PKL title as a coach,” he signed off.   

Preview for matches on Tuesday, October 24: 

The first game of the day will see the Bengal Warriorz led by Fazel Atrachali take on the UP Yoddhas. While the Bengal Warriorz lost their opening game against the Jaipur Pink Panthers, the UP Yoddhas have registered two big wins against Dabang Delhi K.C. and the Bengaluru Bulls. 

The second game of the day will see the Haryana Steelers take on the Jaipur Pink Panthers. While the Haryana Steelers are yet to register their first points, the Jaipur Pink Panthers have won their first two games. 

Please find below the schedule for PKL Season 11 match on Tuesday, October 24: 
  
Match 1 – Bengal Warriorz vs UP Yoddhas – 8pm
Match 2 – Haryana Steelers vs Jaipur Pink Panthers – 9 pm   

For all updates on the Pro Kabaddi league, log on to www.prokabaddi.com, download the Official Pro Kabaddi app or follow @prokabaddi on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and X.

The Pro Kabaddi League Season 11 will be broadcast live on the Star Sports Network and streamed on Disney+ Hotstar from October 18.