Steelers will be wary of Panthers’ Arjun Deshwal, who has been in good form.

In-form Steelers look to keep juggernaut rolling against Pink Panthers

Manpreet Singh’s Haryana Steelers, who have begun their Pro Kabaddi League Season 9 campaign with two wins on the trot, will hope to put their best foot forward when they face the Jaipur Pink Panthers at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, in Bengaluru, on Friday. The JSW Sports-owned side eased past challenges from Bengal Warriors and Tamil Thalaivas, and sit pretty as one of only two teams, alongside Dabang Delhi, yet to drop a point.  

“The mood in the camp is great after winning two games and the confidence is also high. We have been working hard in training with coach Manpreet ensuring that we keep our focus on the game,” Jaideep Dahiya said.  

The Panthers, meanwhile, lost a close opener against UP Yoddhas, before holding their nerve against the Patna Pirates. Raider Arjun Deshwal has been among the most dangerous players in the League, having raked in 25 points over the Panthers’ two outings.  

“The Panthers are a good team with players like Sunil, Ankush and Arjun, who have been in good form. We expect quite a challenge from them, but we are also focusing on ourselves and are confident of our abilities,” added Dahiya. 

The Steelers have been buoyed by the exploits of Manjeet, who has logged 27 points across two games. The Steelers have been bolstered by the addition of Iranian Amirhossein Bastami, the third-most expensive overseas player in the PKL this term, who has joined the squad in Bengaluru. 

“Our team is in a good place and we have been putting in the hard yards in training. We are taking it one game at a time and working closely with our coach who is putting together the plans for us. We can only give it our all, and we are doing that every time we can and we hope that translates into wins for the team,” Jaideep noted. 

The Steelers have a solid squad at their disposal with depth in almost every position, and will look to keep their high intensity approach intact. Action between the Steelers and the Pink Panthers is scheduled to begin at 8.30 pm and will be telecast on the STAR Sports Network, and Disney+Hotstar.