After a crushing defeat in the semifinals, the Puneri Paltan picked themselves up in fine fashion and clinched their third-place playoff against the Bengal Warriors by a score of 31-27. This four-point victory gave the Pune side their first ever podium finish in the three seasons and under Manjeet Chhillar’s able leadership, they performed consistently over the league phase to clinch a place in the playoffs and eventually finish in the third position.
They lead by seven points at the 20-minute mark and fought off a spirited Bengal Warriors side, led by veteran defender Nilesh Shinde. Jang Kun Lee shone for the team from Kolkata with a superb performance but the man of the match was the Paltan’s Deepak Niwas Hooda as he picked up a total of 9 points for his side to cap off what a has been a breakthrough season for him in style.
In a chat after the match, Hooda spoke about his experiences at the recently concluded South Asian Games in Guwahati and expressed his satisfaction with the way his team had performed throughout the campaign. Talking about the win over the Warriors, he said, “The start was a little disappointing as I conceded a super tackle and put my team on the backfoot. But I recovered well and I am glad that I was able to contribute to my team finishing the season on a high.”
The raider spoke about his stint at the South Asian Games where he represented India for the first time and won the gold medal by beating arch-rivals Pakistan in the final. ”It was a truly surreal experience and I would rate it as the most golden moment of my life. Playing for India is what every player dreams of when he starts off and I am proud to have contributed to my country winning a gold medal.”
Hooda described how Manjeet Chhillar helped him improve his game and praised his teammates and congratulated them for what has been a satisfactory season. “This season was good, but we will look to reach the final in Season 4. That will surely be our primary target going into the next season!”
