'If Opponents Stop Arjun Deshwal, Others Will Step Up', Says Jaipur Pink Panthers’ Captain Sunil Malik

Jaipur Pink Panthers: Defending champions Jaipur Pink Panthers have been on a six-match unbeaten streak, and closed out the first week of the new year, with a resounding win against U Mumba, in the presence of the Bachchan family, in Mumbai during Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 10.

The Pink Panthers defeated U Mumba 41-31, in another instalment of one of the most storied rivalries in the Pro Kabaddi League.

A ten-point win against the mighty U Mumba, in their own backyard meant that the Pink Panthers’ leadership group was mighty pleased. Skipper Sunil Malik was all praise for Arjun Deshwal after the match, saying, "Arjun was in fine form against U Mumba, scoring important raid points for us. Along with him, the likes of V Ajith and Bhavani Rajput also put in a fine performance in the raiding department. We played as a complete team."

For the Pink Panthers, Arjun stood out yet again, scoring a total of 17 points, of which 16 were raid points. He had 15 successful raids out of 20. However, skipper Malik is not perturbed about the fact that other teams might target him.

He said: "If the opposition teams try to slow down Arjun in any game, we have the likes of Ajith, Bhavani, Rahul Chaudhari, along with some young talented players in the squad, who can step up when needed. We have enough time before our next game to sort out such things."

The Pink Panthers were aware that they would not have it easy against U Mumba, and had made plans accordingly. Opening up further on how they worked out their plans, the captain said: "We had made our plans for the opposition players and were keen to execute them properly. The U Mumba raiders are good, but we were clear on not allowing the likes of Guman Singh any bonus points during the game. Amirmohammad Zafardanesh was also someone we didn’t want to concede bonus points too, as those points can be difficult to cover up at times."

Up next for the Jaipur Pink Panthers will be a very important phase, as they play their home leg in Jaipur (12-17 January). The Season 9 champions will face the Telugu Titans in their opening game in Jaipur and aren’t taking them lightly. "We can’t take any team lightly during the Pro Kabaddi League. All the 12 teams involved are good squads and we will go in with solid preparations and hope to do well on the mat."