The Bengal Warriorz, led by captain Fazel Atrachali, have played a very entertaining brand of kabaddi in the opening week of the PKL Season 11. After losing a closely contested opening game against the Jaipur Pink Panthers, the Bengal Warriorz put up a brilliant display, to register their first win of the season against the UP Yoddhas, in what was also another tight contest. Up next for the Bengal Warriorz, is a game against U Mumba.

While it was Nitin Dhankhar, who caught everyone’s attention in the first game, the second match saw the 19-year-old Sushil Kambrekar spring a surprise with a performance to remember. Head coach Prashant Surve heaped praise on the youngster, saying, “The turning point and one of the most important players in the game against the UP Yoddhas was the Sushil Kambrekar, who scored two multiple point raids, and he was our surprise package this year.”

Echoing the coach’s thoughts, captain Fazel Atrachali added, “I am very happy and the Bengal Warriorz are in a confident place now. Sushil has played very well, and I am very happy about that. For me, it is important that the team wins, and the individual performances are secondary in that sense.”

“The young players, I knew might be a little under pressure because they are playing their first season, and I always try to give them confidence. I kept telling Sushil that it is okay when he lost a couple of points, that it is okay, and he should keep going. And finally, it worked for us, if I scold him, he may not be confident the next time. Sushil is a very good player, and he works very hard, and I am very proud of him. I am sure he will shine and do well for the Bengal Warriorz in PKL Season 11,” the Sultan added.

Elaborating further on Sushil, who hails from Karnataka and loves his ice-cream and movies, the head coach said, “Sushil is a very powerful raider and we kept giving him the confidence to play well. And when he got the chance, he proved himself. Sushil has playing very well in training too.”

Looking ahead to the game against U Mumba, a confident and bullish Fazel Atrachali said, “I don’t care who is in the other team. I care only about my team and how we play.”

Adding on to Fazel’s thoughts, head coach Prashant Surve said, “U Mumba is a good team, but our defensive unit is in control and our raiders are also playing well, so we will definitely go for the win against them.”  

Preview for Matches on October 27:

The first game of the day will see the Jaipur Pink Panthers, led by Arjun Deshwal, take on the Tamil Thalaivas. While the Jaipur Pink Panthers won against the Bengal Warriorz and Telugu Titans, they lost their previous game against the Haryana Steelers. Meanwhile, the Tamil Thalaivas have also played three games, winning the first two against the Telugu Titans and the Puneri Paltan, while losing the third against the Patna Pirates.

In the second match of the day, the UP Yoddhas will come up against the Gujarat Giants. The UP Yoddhas have already defeated the Dabang Delhi K.C. and the Bengaluru Bulls, but lost against the Bengal Warriorz. On the other hand, the Gujarat Giants defeated the Bengaluru Bulls in their opening game, and lost against U Mumba in their second game.