Beating Puneri Paltan in Pune would be ideal confidence booster before playoffs: Haryana Steelers’ coach Ranbir Singh Khokhar

HARYANA STEELERS will look to end the group stages of their debut Pro-Kabaddi season on a high as they face Puneri Paltan in their final Zone-A clash, at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, in Pune, on Tuesday. 

Ranbir Singh Khokhar’s side goes into the clash unbeaten in five and with qualification to the super-playoffs already secured, but he maintained that the focus was on the result. Khokar said,

“We knew we had qualified before the Jaipur (Pink Panthers) game but we were still targeting the number one spot. The motivation came from there and I'm glad the boys avoided being complacent. We are geared up for today’s game in the same manner and while there's no top spot to vie for, the intensity won't go down.”

Having lost to the home side on two occasions already, Khokhar maintained that the defeats add impetus to his side’s will to turn the tide.

“The defeats against Pune motivate us to go even harder at them tomorrow, knowing that they have become even tougher to beat now. We will give our 100 per cent in the game as we know beating Pune in Pune would be the ideal confidence booster before the playoffs.”

Puneri Paltan, meanwhile, come into the clash on the back of two wins and will play the Steelers in one of three games in four days. The home-side sits on the third position in Zone A, one point behind the Steelers, with two games to play following Tuesday’s encounter.
 
Maintaining that the Steelers will not be complacent on the mat, Khokhar said that he hopes to rotate the squad to keep his players fit for the super-playoffs.

“We are, we have to. In fact, we have sat together and devised a strategy to be ready for four games after tomorrow. We have to be mentally ready to go till the end to achieve our goals. Our squad is fit but we want to rest key players tomorrow as there is a risk of injury. There will be some new faces."

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