PKL 2022: I had a plan ready for the tie-breaker against U.P. Yoddhas – Tamil Thalaivas Ashan Kumar

Tamil Thalaivas head coach Ashan Kumar revealed he had a plan ready for the tie-breaking against U.P. Yoddhas in the second Eliminator at the Dome, NSCI SVP Stadium, Mumbai on Tuesday. The match ended in a 36-36 tie but Tamil Thalaivas clinched the game 6-4 in the tiebreaker.

This was the first-ever tiebreaker in the history of the Vivo Pro Kabaddi League but the Thalaivas kept their cool at the fag end of the game.

Ashan Kumar said in the post-match press conference, “Prior to the game, we had a discussion that the game could go into a tiebreaker. When the game went into the tiebreaker, I made plans according to the players in two-three minutes we got in the timeout. The players played accordingly and we were able to savor success in the end.”

Meanwhile, Tamil Thalaivas raider Narender once again top-scored with 13 points for the team. Narender added the coach motivated them to give their best.

On the other hand, U.P. Yoddhas head coach Jasveer Singh admitted they have been repeating their mistakes, which is leading to their downfall. Singh feels the team’s raiders were not at their best at the beginning of the game.

Tamil Thalaivas will face Puneri Paltan in the second semifinal on Thursday.

Puneri Paltan Squad 2022 for PKL 9

Retained Players: Mohit Goyat, Akash Santhosh Shinde, Sanket Sawant, Govind Gurjar, Aslam Inamdar, Sombir, Abinesh Nadarajan, Shubham Nitin Shelke, Pankaj Mohite, Badal Taqdir Singh, and Aditya Tushar Shinde.

Auction Buys: Fazel Atrachali, Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh, Alankar Kaluram Patil, Rakesh Bhalle Ram, Balasaheb Shahaji Jadhav, Harsh Mahesh Lad, and D Mahindaprasad.

Tamil Thalaivas Squad 2022 for PKL 9

Retained Players: Sagar, Ajinkya Ashok Pawar, Abhishek M, Himanshu, Himanshu Singh, Mohit, Ashish, Sahil, Jatin, Himanshu, and Narender.

Auction Buys: Pawan Sehrawat, Thanushan Laxmamohan, Md. Arif Rabbani, Visvanath V, Arpit Saroha, K Abhimanyu, and Ankit.