New Delhi, Sep 23 (IANS): As the schedule for the first half of the Pro Kabaddi League Season 9 was announced on Thursday, Haryana Steelers Head Coach Manpreet Singh spoke on the team's ongoing training sessions at Inspire Institute of Sport in Bellary, Karnataka, and reflected upon the team's schedule.

The Steelers are set to begin their Pro Kabaddi League Season 9 campaign against Bengal Warriors on October 8th at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, in Bengaluru.

"We are excited about the schedule that has come through and beginning against a strong team in Bengal Warriors in our first game will put us right in the thick of things. Our players have been training hard for over a month now, and we believe we are ready for the competition," said Singh.

Steelers will compete in 11 matches between the months of October and November, which will be spread across two venues - Sree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru and Shri Shivchhatrapati Sports Complex (Badminton Court), Balewadi in Pune. This time, the fans will have an opportunity to come back to the stadium and catch their favourite stars in action, and Coach Manpreet said that the presence of fans will motivate players to give their best on the mat.

"All athletes always enjoy competing with fans cheering them on. It gives the player motivation to put their best in each and every game. We are confident that the presence of fans will allow our players to play freely and also enjoy the atmosphere. We are eager for the season to begin," Manpreet added.