Dabang Delhi retained the top spot of the PKL 7 points table by displacing Bengal Warriors after they got the better of Patna Pirates in an exciting battle. All-rounder Vijay Malik collected five points in a super raid in the second half, which turned the table around and Delhi won the game by 43-39 points. Naveen also scored a Super 10 but Vijay was the star for the table-toppers.
After the win, Dabang Delhi KC captain Joginder Narwal was delighted and heaped praise on his players. He also mentioned about the ‘never say die’ attitude of the team which led to the win against the three-time champions.
“We had discussed with the coach and everyone around about not giving up after the second All-Out. We continued to persist and play regardless of the result and I knew that we have game-changing raiders as well as defenders in the team. In this season, we have shown that we have multiple match-winners in our team,” said Joginder Narwal.
As Naveen was the third-best raider of the match after Pardeep Narwal and Vijay, questions were asked to coach Krishan Kumar Hooda about the same at the press conference. However, the coach didn’t delve into it much, stating that for him, individual performances are not a concern as long as the team keeps winning.
“Naveen as you saw, of course, continues to perform but along with him, the rest of the team’s also been performing. Our combinations and styles are working. Naveen has been getting us points from the start and Joginder Narwal has also been tackling consistently," coach Hooda explained.
“Overall, we are playing well and the whole team is doing good. You’ve seen my team play and winning is what’s most important. So, I don’t dwell on individual performances much, the win is all that counts," he added.
Naveen, who scored 11 points in the game, resonated with his coach’s statements, saying that he is happy with the Super 10 but the important thing is the victory for the team.
“I am very happy and pleased with the Super 10 but the main thing is that the team won, which is most important,” Naveen expressed.