Babita Kumari upbeat about her team's chances despite heavy loss

Babita Kumari won gold at the 2014 CWG in Glasgow

It was the second day of the inaugural Pro Wrestling League as the Bengaluru Yodhas scripted a dominant 6-1 win over the UP Warriors to kick-off their campaign, It was a heavy loss for the Babita Kumari-led franchise as they succumbed to a heavy defeat in their very first match-up.

It was certainly a very inauspicious start for the side owned by the Lotus Greens group and they will look to do much better in their next match.

Despite having a former World Champion in the form of Oleksandra Kohut and reigning national champion Ritu Malik in their ranks, the Uttar Pradesh outfit were swept off the mat quite literally and were completely outclassed by a strong Bengaluru Yodhas side.

Their only win came in the form of captain and icon player Babita Kumari’s comeback win against Lalita Sherawat in the fifth bout of the best-of-seven tie.

Babita was slow out of the blocks and her opponent surprised her with an early attack which meant that she trailed 0-2 just after a few seconds. She regained her composure quickly and responded with two points of her own after a vicious hold of Lalita’s left ankle.

Babita then made it 4-2 in her favour after a stunning procedure as she lifted her opposite number and subsequently planted her on the mat with a ferocious throw.

The second round was more domination by Babita as she did not let her guard down and looked to attack on the counter. She made it 6-2 with a two-handed waist grab and added another couple with seconds left to end the bout at a resounding 8-2.

The Warriors skipper in the post-match press conference

However, her team did not fare so well as all other matches resulted in a loss for her side. The skipper spoke to the media after the game and expressed her disappointment at the result.

She said that the team had prepared well and all players fought hard but luck was not on their side on the night and that the loss was not as harsh as the 6-1 scoreline makes it sound.

That being said, she was quite generous in praise towards the Yodhas and she acknowledged that their opponents were excellent and deserved to win.

Babita spoke her mind on the concept of the Pro Wrestling League and said that it is a great initiative and the playing field is at par with any international competition. She stated that all wrestlers in the league are of Olympic quality, which helps in gaining valuable experience and improving their game.

The Bhiwani-based wrestler also mentioned that Olympian Sushil Kumar was a huge miss for the team and that his withdrawal from the competition hit her team hard. Sushil had recently announced that he would not take part in the league due to injury concerns, and Babita said that the Warriors would have benefitted greatly with his presence as he is a very senior figure and a role model for wrestlers in the country.