Pro Kabaddi League 2019: Ace raiders brace for challenges ‘Toughest Half' of PKL Season 7 begins

Bengaluru, Sep 5: The ongoing seventh season of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) has entered the second half of its three-month-long campaign. At the midpoint of the league stage, the action has been nothing short of breathtaking as the audiences have witnessed some scintillating performances and nail-biting encounters.

From Naveen Kumar's outstanding nine successive Super 10s to the domination of defenders; the first half of the season was undoubtedly a package full of surprises.

PKL 2019 Special Site

The second half of the league stage is already being dubbed as the 'Toughest Half', for teams and captains are now setting their sights to booking the playoffs berths.

Recently, the captains and coaches of teams met in Bengaluru to share their thoughts on the journey so far and the upcoming challenges in their campaign.

At the mid-season review press conference, this is what raiders said for the remainder of the season and the challenges that lay ahead:

Pawan Sehrawat, Bengaluru Bulls

Pawan Sehrawat, Green Sleeve Holder and raider of Bengaluru Bulls said, "The defence is really strong this season because of which, raiders are finding it tough to score. The defenders come in with a specific plan in mind to tackle some of the raiders like Siddharth Desai, Naveen Kumar, Pardeep Narwal and me. If you notice, compared to the last season, this season, the points scored by the raiders is quite less; that is because of the strong defence and Super Tackles by defenders.

"This is a great evolution for Kabaddi as a sport. The tougher the game gets, the more challenges we face, making us work harder and in turn giving our best performance to win the game. The new format is great, we don't have groups - the team that plays well qualifies for the playoffs. As a team, Dabang Delhi is performing well, as the ‘Toughest Half' begins - let's see who finally qualifies for the playoffs."

Siddharth Desai, Telugu Titans

Siddharth Desai, raider, Telugu Titans said, "This season is a tough one, and over the past couple of months, I have learnt a lot of new skills. Last year, I used to get points in all the skills that I used to apply, but this season, things have changed. The defenders and coaches from other teams have analysed my strengths, seen where I get maximum points from and have worked accordingly - thus, making it difficult for me to make points. So, right now, I'm trying to change my skill set and adapt new moves. Hopefully, I'll play a better game in the second half of the season and take the team up in the points table."

Pardeep Narwal, Patna Pirates

Pardeep Narwal, Captain, Patna Pirates said, "As a team, we are concentrating on playing better in the next matches and not repeating our mistakes. The toughest half of the season has begun, and we look forward to starting on a winning note. We are also working on our defence and offence, and hopefully, it'll be a good second half for the team."